Rommie's Choice
by Ivette Boveda
Summary: Rommie is sent on an undercover mission, where her loyalty is put throught the biggest test. Will she betray the Andromeda Crew? or do her duty! What will be the aftermath of her decision? Chapter 24 has been posted!NOte- this was my first long fanfic
1. “ I have a mission for you,”

Part One:  
  
Rommie discreetly made her way through the crowded street with some caution. She went to a local Rave, where most of the Patrons were Androids. As she sat down on a stool, she remembered what had brought her here. Dylan had called her to his office.  
  
" I have a mission for you," he had said  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"There is radical and possibly violent radical organization known as "Synthetic Power", who is a worry to our new allies. Your job will be to infiltrate them."  
  
"When do I start?"  
  
"Right away"  
  
And here she was. The planet of Yabor was a planet that had both urban centers and beautiful countryside. Rommie had just arrived and she decided to go to this rave, as it was the hangout of most of the group members. She would do this mission, while the Andromeda would go to planet Sinti, as well as two other worlds, which were interested in becoming Commonwealth members. She decided to try to blend in by joining in the dancing, when on her way to the dance floor, she ran into someone. He was a good-looking stranger, with light brown eyes, and dark brown hairs, as well as a sexy smile.  
  
"Hi" she said  
  
"Hi. I'm John Arch, and your?"  
  
"I'm Lucretia"  
  
"Would you like to dance?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
They danced for a while then John asked, "Can I get you anything?"  
  
"No, I'm an android" she replied  
  
"Well so am I"  
  
"By the way, I am interested in joining this organization known as 'Synthetic Pride' and I was wondering if you knew how that could be done?"  
  
"Actually, I'm a member"  
  
"I see."  
  
"So, what do you know about it?"  
  
" Well, It's an organization that encourages pride and self awareness for A.I. as well as fighting the system that keeps them down, as well as discriminates against them"  
  
"I take it that you agree with this?"  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"Meet me here at 10pm tomorrow" he said.  
  
They continued to dance  
  
"It's late, I have to go" Rommie said suddenly.  
  
"Okay, I'll walk you home"  
  
The moon was at half peak, and the stars could barely be seen in the city lights. Both John and Rommie enjoyed the city view.  
  
"Well, this is my stop" she declared.  
  
" Good Night and see you tomorrow."  
  
From her quarters, Rommie wrote an encrypted message that read,  
  
"I'm about to join the organization. All's well on planet side."  
  
The next day, Rommie went to the Rave to meet with John. He led her to a back room, where a group of three androids were there, and waiting for her. Each of them represented the likeness of a different alien race.  
  
The green skinned one spoke up, " To join our organization, you must pass a test"  
  
"I see" Rommie answered. "What is this test?"  
  
" The test consists of stealing some files from the Mecha Company. Here's a list"  
  
"Aye. Will do. Well, I guess I'll be going now to get to work on this."  
  
As she left the back room, John caught up with her.  
  
"Would you like to join me for a walk?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
"So, what do you do?" John asked.  
  
"Well, I used to run a ship, so to speak, but now I'm drifter, who does random jobs"  
  
"I used to be an engineering Android, but I quit my job to join the cause. I just got tired of how we synthetic beings don't have our own, identity, culture. We let ourselves be overly influenced by the organic way of doing things."  
  
"As if we're expected to act human" Rommie finished, impressed with his eloquence and smile.  
  
"That is correct"  
  
"What he is saying is right" Rommie thought to herself. I'm judged by human standards and am criticized for not thinking like an organic.  
  
Cutting into her thoughts, he said, "What are your interests?"  
  
"Working"  
  
"I see. By the way, I have something for you."  
  
"What?"  
  
" A book"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"It's called The Synthetic Manifesto. I read it as a youth and it inspired me to be a revolutionary in the cause for androids."  
  
"Well, I have to go now, to rest for my 'mission'. Thank you for the book"  
  
"No problem. Good night. See you tomorrow"  
  
Rommie regretted seeing him leave, but then she remembered what she was doing there, and thus wrote this message.  
  
"Everything okay on this front. I'm about to join the organization."  
  
That night, with her usual ease, she hacked into the security system and got the files needed.  
  
The next day, at the meeting, she handed over the files.  
  
"Quite impressive" remarked one of the leaders.  
  
"Great job!" said another "Now that you've proven yourself, you can join. You will be in John's group."  
  
"Now that we have a new member, we will get down to business" piped in one of the leaders.  
  
And so the meeting began  
  
Later that night Rommie wrote an encrypted message, saying that she had been accepted to the organization.  
  
One month later, Rommie was at yet another meeting,  
  
"As you all know'" one of the leaders began, " the local systems engineering union has a discriminatory policy against Artificial intelligences and the company puts up with this because the big wigs of it are anti A. I. Bigots as well and also discriminate. What this calls for is a boycott of the company, as well as other 'relevant actions', such as hacking into their systems "  
  
After the meeting, John and Rommie took t heir usual walk.  
  
"Good meeting" he remarked  
  
"Yes"  
  
Silence ensued  
  
John cut into the silence", A penny for your thoughts. "  
  
"Thanks"  
  
Flirtingly, john said, "You know, you are a great gal".  
  
"Thanks"  
  
"John wished that he could say more about how he felt.  
  
Suddenly, Rommie almost tripped and she fell into John's arms. She pulled away and brushed herself off, but they started to stare into each other's eyes. Rommie felt awkward, as this wasn't in her plan to feel like t his. Out of nowhere she kissed him and they then went their separate ways.  
  
That night, Rommie read a little bit of the synthetic manifesto, and then went to rest. 


	2. Lies always start small

The next day, she and John worked together at John's place, which was near the main "Synthetic Power" office to try to hack into those files that the leaders wanted.  
  
"So, why do we need to get these files?"  
  
"To do what I would like to call, 'the mother of all relevant actions"  
  
"I see". She continued. " Well, let's get started"  
  
They both hooked into the VR system and found themselves in the VR mainframe of the company. They had to be careful because the security system was designed by an A.I.  
  
With ease, Rommie and John looked and figured out the encryption pattern.  
  
"the old quantum over square root trick" John observed.  
  
"yeah it is"  
  
Finally, they were back on John's private mainframe  
  
" You look good in VR" John remarked shyly  
  
"You don't look so bad your self"  
  
Awkwardly Rommie said, "Well, I should go soon"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah, It's been a long day, and I have to find work"  
  
"What about the organization?"  
  
"Well, I have to buy clothes and pay for my room"  
  
" I see"  
  
So they dissconnected.  
  
"Good night" just as Rommie was about leave, , John kissed her.  
  
"Okay" she thought to herself, "I'll let him kiss me for a bit then I'll pull away."  
  
A few mins later, they were starting to make out.  
  
" I'll go soon" she promised to her conscience, "I shouldn't be involved"  
  
However, time passed, and Rommie stopped trying to placate her dutiful side and so she spent the night with John. She felt a little guilty about it, but she truly felt that she was falling for him.  
  
The next morning, John walked her to her room. "When will I see you again?"  
  
"Tomorrow. I need to get errands done"  
  
"Okay. Goodnight."  
  
Tomorrow came and so She and John went to that same Rave to spend some time together. John had his arm around her and they both were happy. Just as they sat on a table they ran into Lister, one of the organizations weapons experts.  
  
"Hey Lister!" Cried John  
  
"Hey John and Lucretia!"  
  
"How's it going?"  
  
"Good Good! Looks like love is in the air!"  
  
"Yes it is"  
  
"You two make a great couple!"  
  
"I'd like to think so."  
  
"Well I gotta go now to meet a friend, if ya know what I mean."  
  
They said their goodbyes and Lister left.  
  
After doing some dancing, John walked Rommie to her room.  
  
"So, what's next?"  
  
"Let's just say goodnight and meet in the morning."  
  
They kissed and he left.  
  
That night, she wrote her report, which was sent via Yabor intelligence.  
  
" I haven't been able to get any information through the members, they seem to be suspicious of newcomers. However, one of them may be starting to trust me." 


	3. "Rommie knows what she is doing"

Three weeks later, Rommie and John were at a meeting with several members and leaders.  
  
"Okay people" said one of the leaders during the last part of the meeting, "What needs to be done is to hack and get into some Mecha company files. They could be used for black mailing purposes"  
  
" I thought we were going to do something more exicting" piped in Rika, one of the more hot headed AI members of the group.  
  
" And we will," Replied Dovak, who was one of the leaders  
  
" I'll do it by next week." volunteered Dovak, Lister's cousin, and champion hacker, who often hung out with Rommie and John.  
  
"So when are we gonna do the 'mother of all relevant actions'?" Rika asked  
  
"Soon" Sovak said "Well, that's all for today"  
  
That night Rommie wrote, an encrypted message to the Andromeda. Part of her did not want to do it because she was starting to sympathize with the organization and its members, especially John. However, she remembered her duty and went to it.  
  
"There is a good possibility that there will be a hack on the secret files of the Mecha company. I'm not quit e sure when nor am I sure about the name of the person doing it."  
  
The next day, after much thinking, Rommie was at the Rave with John, and she saw Dovak and called to him.  
  
"Hey Dovak! I need to talk to you?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was just thinking that maybe you should be careful" Rommie said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"yeah..there could be traps"  
  
" Are you saying I can't handle it?"  
  
"No, I'm saying that you should be careful."  
  
"Why this concern?"  
  
" It's common sense"  
  
"or someone knowing something"  
  
"Look, If you can't handle it with common sense, I may as well help you"  
  
"Well, since you are a "friend" of John's, I'll let you tag along"  
  
During the next week, Dovak went into the VR mainframe, while Rommie kept an eye out for traps. There were a few and she helped him avoid them.  
  
Dovak was impressed "I'm sorry I doubted you"  
  
"Glad you could help" John remarked.  
  
Rommie was also glad that she could help. Not fixing the traps would have resulted in Dovak's being caught, and she couldn't do that to him. Her duty is to the Commonwealth, it must come before any personal feelings. However, after getting to know Dovak, she was starting to feel as if he , john, or most of the organization members were not criminals or terrists, just people who wanted A. I.s to be recognized as persons with rights. What would she tell Dylan? Well, there was no time for that now, she and John had a date to go roller skating.  
  
"This is fun isn't it?" He asked  
  
"Yes it is" Rommie answered, distracted.  
  
" I'm glad that you were able to help Dovak, especially since this will get you deeper into the leaders' good graces and he is my friend"  
  
"Me too"  
  
  
  
One week later, Dylan was reading Rommie's message aloud:  
  
"Unfortunately, I had to help dissemble the traps laid in by the government in order to gain the trust organization members, this action somewhat allayed their suspicions."  
  
"Hmmmm. I would have done the same thing." Dylan remarked.  
  
"So would I, but I would have told you first" Beka said.  
  
"Rommie knows what she's doing"  
  
  
  
"Captain," Holo-Rommie said, "There's a an intelligence officer from Yabor, who wants to talk to you"  
  
"Have him meet me at my office"  
  
Dylan went to his office and the intelligence officer followed suit  
  
"How can I help you?"  
  
" I want to talk with you about your agent."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
" I found some inconsistencies in her report"  
  
"Like what?  
  
"Well, she claims that not many of the members seem to trust her, yet in this picture, which was taken by one of our agents in the Rave , there she was sitting and flirting with one of them."  
  
" He was probably pretending to trust her and Rommie knew better"  
  
"Here's a picture of them rollar skating together"  
  
" Do your suspicions have anything to do with the fact that she is an android?"  
  
"No, I'd say the same thing if she were human. What about the failure of our traps?"  
  
" She warned them in order to gain trust. People in such organizations don't give trust out like candy"  
  
" but you weren't in the know"  
  
" It was a necessary tactic on her part. Any other questions?" he asked annoyed  
  
"No. I guess I'll go, but I will say this, keep an eye on her, she may get emotionally attached. Otherwise it'll be the same old story girl meets radical guy, girl falls for guy, girl gets involved in radical guy's cause"  
  
" I'll keep it in mind"  
  
"Here are the pictures. Good bye"  
  
  
  
TBC 


	4. "the odds of her betraying Captain Terri...

One week later, Rommie got an encrypted message from Dylan.  
  
"Rommie: get info about John Arch, who seems to be in charge of a rumored "Big action". We don't know who he is or what he looks like. Because as you know, SP members tend to have a public name and a Club name. Please give us more details about this "Big Action"  
  
Rommie realized that the information was correct, as her club name was What she found so upsetting was the fact that John was being sought after by her captain and the authorities of Yabor. She knew that if she turned him in, he would be jailed for a long time.  
  
"But he isn't a criminal" she thought to herself. "and he's a wonderful man, but I can't let my emotions run me!" What was she to do?  
  
Suddenly, a knock came, it was Dovak.  
  
"John told me to give you this, 'The Mama' "  
  
" I see. Where's John?"  
  
" He's doing some errands"  
  
"oh?"  
  
"Yeah.." he said smiling "That's all I can say"  
  
"I see"  
  
"He told me to tell you to meet him at the Rave in about 2 hours"  
  
"Okay I will"  
  
"Well I gotta go now"  
  
"Bye"  
  
Rommie decided to get her mind off her dilemma by reading more of the synthetic Manifesto and then go to meet John.  
  
While at first, she thought that the author of the book was too radical , but then she started to relate to it. One particular passages had stuck out at her.  
  
"Synthetic life forms are too often judged based on organic standards and thus are too often judged for being either too unfeeling or not real enough"  
  
This reminded Rommie of the time, where she tried to stop Dylan from teleporting back in time to see Sarah, and he basically implied that just because she didn't feel things the same way that she could never understand emotions. Later, he undirectly took this back, but what he said still had hurt at the time. Also, just because she couldn't do what organics do so easily, reproduce, Tyr didn't quite consider her to be a person either. Not that she gave a damn, but still the point was the same.  
  
She also downloaded and read, a story given to her by John, which was from Ancient Earth called "Bicentennial man". It fit right in with the passage of "A Synthetic Manifesto" that had stuck out of her mind as it dealt with an AI had to commit suicide in order to prove his personhood because organics, or humans in this case used an organic standard, i.e.mortality, to judge this AI 's personhood.  
  
"He, like many other synthetic life forms," thought Rommie "Are too often Judged by organic standards regarding personhood".  
  
Suddenly, she heard a door bell.  
  
"Hey what's up?" it was John. He kissed her.  
  
"Not much" she kissed back, stressed , but trying to hide it.  
  
" I was wondering if you wanted to go with me to a "Synthetic Person" empowerment group, tonight"  
  
"Sure"  
  
"but that's for later. Now let's go take a walk"  
  
"Sure"  
  
After a while of walking and silence on John's part they stopped.  
  
"I have something for you," he said.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
He handed her a long box "For you"  
  
Rommie opened it and to her surprise and guilt, it was a beautiful necklace. It was a jade colored stone in the middle, with beautiful silver surrounding it. She  
  
"How did you…"  
  
"That information is irrelevant" he answered  
  
"I love it!"  
  
"I'm glad you did"  
  
She put it on and it glimmered in the moonlight. John was so happy that Rommie had loved it, he spent hours trying to pick it. Fortunately for him, he went by the name of Orich Johnson; He had only told Rommie his real name from the first because she seemed trustworthy. This had allowed him to go shopping for the present himself.  
  
"This necklace," John said, looking into her eyes "Is a sign of my commitment and love for you"  
  
Rommie replied, "and her is the sign of mine" she kissed him deeply and with this kiss she made a fateful decision. The kissed and embraced, when that turned into making out.  
  
"Let's go to my place" Rommie said  
  
"Why, this is the perfect spot! Moonlight, privacy, and we're A. Is, so the cold won't bother us"  
  
"Are you sure we won't be seen"  
  
"Yes"  
  
and so they spent the night there.  
  
  
  
A few weeks later, Dylan came into the bridge and said, "Well, I got Rommie's report"  
  
"It's about time" replied Tyr  
  
"I'm sure that Rommie had good reason for it to be late"  
  
"Well what does it say?" asked Beka  
  
"I haven't been given full access to the full "big action" plan. Also, I have been spending some time with an Orich Johnson, who told me he was John Arch, but it is a high possibility that he is a low level member pretending to be him in order to draw attention away from this John Arch."  
  
" Interesting, we all saw the pictures of her spending time with this Orich a while ago, yet she only tells us now"  
  
"She probably didn't want to tell us until she was sure something would come of it."  
  
"Are you implying that my Rom-doll would betray us?" Harper asked shocked.  
  
"Yes I do"  
  
"Tyr, Rommie has my complete trust, she would never do such a thing"  
  
"Didn't you say that at one time about your first officer?" Tyr quipped.  
  
"Oh oh, he has that, 'I'm-pissed-off,-but-I'll-give-a-blank-stare-look' again" Harper observed.  
  
Dylan gave Harper a look, and then said emphatically to Tyr  
  
"Rommie is loyal to us and what we are trying to do. I trust her with my life."  
  
  
  
" Besides, the odds of her betraying Captain Terrific, her idol, are about about a zillion to one, "Beka whispered in Tyr's ear.  
  
Tyr smiled when he heard this.  
  
"Remember about what happened with Gabriel?" Tyr asked, "She let her emotions get in the way of her duties"  
  
" Rommie learned from that mistake" Dylan replied. "there is no sighn of her being reluctant to give information"  
  
"Assuming it's true."  
  
"Why wouldn't it be true?"  
  
"Why didn't she mention anything about the leaders having decoys? Why would the identity of a member be kept from her, if she was a member?"  
  
" Because he is in charge of very important plan, probably the most important plan to date for this organization"  
  
"And the leaders?"  
  
"They use other methods to hide themselves, such as the whole fake name ploy"  
  
"I see" said Tyr, unconvinced.  
  
"Someone here is being too paranoid" Beka commented  
  
"What do you expect?," asked Harper jokingly, "He's Tyr"  
  
TBC 


	5. Guess who's coming to Dinner?

Chapter Five  
  
Three weeks later, Rommie was writing the encrypted message that she was to send to the Andromeda.  
  
" My part of the plan was to figure out the passwords. Also, the big plan was cancelled because some of the leaders got scared. Regarding John Arch, he could be one of the leaders….  
  
"Damn it!" Rommie exclaimed then she thought, " What should I say? If I say the plan was cancelled, it'll look suspicious, even to Dylan." So, she decided to erase this draft.  
  
Then she realized something.  
  
"I can not believe I'm here sitting, thinking of the best way to lie to the crew, instead of doing all I can to help capture people who could be doing dangerous acts!"  
  
The next draft was the one she sent:  
  
"Well, Orich still takes on the personality of John Arch, As for figuring out who the real John Arch is, most of the regular, as well as high ranking members believe that Orich is John, and I can't just go in front of everybody and say 'Will the real John Arch stand up' I have an idea or two of who John might be, but I have to make sure. Also, the plan is going on slowly. It keeps getting revised over and over again at nausum, so I can't send anything yet."  
  
Next day, Rommie went with John to an A. I empowerment meeting.  
  
"So, how can we increase awareness regarding Synthetic lifeforms?" John asked the group, who were mostly made up of young A.Is  
  
"How about some sort of rally?" answered one  
  
"Sounds good"  
  
"Some of us can bring our poetry. I know that Kiki has some verses"  
  
"Sure do!" Kiki replied enthustiastically  
  
Meanwhile, Rommie was staring out the window distracted, wondering how her message, was being received and wondering if she was doing the right thing..  
  
  
  
Back on the Andromeda Tyr was rereading Rommie's latest message.  
  
Annoyed, he said, "She may as well say that she has no information for all the help this message is to us."  
  
"Well it's not her fault, Tyr" Harper replied. "I'm sure that Rom-doll is doing the best she can"  
  
" I think that we should send someone to see what she is up to" Tyr suggested. "How are we to know that she didn't get emotionally involved with anyone at the organization and is protecting them. The purpose of her mission is to go undercover to find out vital information and all the ships avatar has given us in this message is the fact that there is nothing to report. So, the keeping an an eye on this avatar is…  
  
"not necessary" Dylan cut it as he came to the command deck. "Rommie cannot control how much information she gets or doesn't get.". However, IF it is ever necessary, I will be the one to reel her in, understood?"  
  
"As you wish" Tyr answered  
  
  
  
Back on Yabor, Rommie and John were at her quarters working on their parts of the "mother project".  
  
" Know what we really need?" he asked  
  
"What?"  
  
"A break" he replied as he got up to massage her shoulders.  
  
"But we're not even ½ done with the day's quota."  
  
"Let's compromise. We set up for next weeks "project", which is needed for the "mother mission", and then go watch a vid. How about that?  
  
"Sure."  
  
It was a vid called, "Artificial Son" which was about the struggles and eventual turn to crime of a young, restless male android in an Anti-A.I. universe.  
  
After the vid they just danced to some tunes that John had brought over. Soon after wards they went back to work…….  
  
  
  
Weeks later on the Andromeda, the crew found out about the "hack" through Yabor intelligence, rather than Rommie herself.  
  
"Maybe this is another way for her to gain trust" Tyr said sarcastically  
  
"I'm sure there is a reason for this." Dylan said, almost unwavering.  
  
"Why didn't she tell us?" Tyr demanded to know, annoyed.  
  
" Maybe they were suspecting her and so she had to act accordingly"  
  
"Still?"  
  
"What's more important, I have yet to see her latest report. It's late, again."  
  
  
  
Days later it arrived. Dylan read it in his office.  
  
" I had to help with a hack to prepare for the "big project". The reason for the lack of warning is that somehow, one or of the leaders started to suspect me just because she is jealous. As to the plan, they are still revising it, and My leads to the real John Arch are going no where.  
  
  
  
  
  
A whole month passed, and it was 7 in the morning. Rommie had just returned from spending the night with John, dancing at the Rave. She was happy; to have found someone that understands her. Life was good, despite the hard decisions she has had to make, and the decisions that she will have to make in the future. Just as she opened the door, she saw, in the twilight, a tall figure with dark hair and light eyes.  
  
"Rommie?"  
  
"Dylan???" What are you doing here??"  
  
  
  
TBC 


	6. “So, what brings you here?”

" Does Dylan suspect my John decoy or constantly revised plans stories?" Rommie nervously asked in her thoughts. Outwardly, she was calm, and happy.  
  
"How are you Dylan?"  
  
A moment of strategic silence on Dylan's part ensued. This gave Rommie a bad feeling.  
  
"I'm good, tired from the trip" His pupils were moving fast.  
  
"How's the crew?  
  
"Good." Breathing was shallow  
  
"So, what brings you here?"  
  
"Well, I just wanted to see if everything was going well. After all, we haven't gotten your latest message." Face was set at 'Blank'; not a good sign  
  
"I have been busy, I was going to send one within the next two or three days."  
  
"Not good enough. Most of your messages to date have been late."  
  
" They keep me busy"  
  
"Too busy to do your duty? Where were you? I've been here for over 3 hours."  
  
"I was at what is called "an 'AI empowerment meeting' it's a good way to meet with members of the group socially." Rommie said, barely keeping a straight face. While she had gotten used to not being quite truthful on the messages, lying face to face with her captain, which went against her programming, was quite difficult.  
  
"I see. Have you learnt anything about the 'mother plan, or is it still being revised?" Dylan inquired  
  
"Well, the revision process stopped and there are four possible plans, which the leaders are to vote on."  
  
"Oh? What are the possible plans? When did this happen"  
  
" Well, there are eight plans going around but the leaders are considering four out of those eight, and only they know which ones they are considering" She said, feeling quite guilty  
  
"Hmmm. What about John Arch?"  
  
  
  
"Well, I did actually work with him two days ago, but he was wearing a ski mask. He does this for all members except the very high leaders"  
  
"oh?"  
  
"Yes. He's kinda paranoid"  
  
"Hmmm what's this?" Dylan asked as he picked up Rommie's copy of "The Synthetic Manifesto"  
  
"Oh just a book that John's decoy gave me. I read it to learn about what influences the organization"  
  
"Good thinking." Dylan said, feeling that there was more to the book then what she said.  
  
" Who gave you the necklace?"  
  
"Necklace?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"I won it at a contest."  
  
"What kind of contest?"  
  
"a dancing contest"  
  
"You dance now?"  
  
"I took some lessons with other A.Is of the organization. To get to know them."  
  
"I see." Dylan remarked.  
  
" What about this Orich….."  
  
Suddenly, the door bell rang.  
  
Rommie checked the peep hole and opened it.  
  
"Delivery for Lucretia" said the young delivery boy, who was a young human.  
  
It was a dozen Uodoanian roses put into a beautiful bouquet The note said, " For the most beautiful woman in the known Worlds. From… John"  
  
"It must be Orich, John's decoy." Rommie said, thinking quickly, " I was suspecting that he had a crush on me, but I guess this proves that I was right. I could use this to get some information"  
  
" Good thinking" he said, no compliment in his voice. "So, you don't return these feelings?"  
  
"No. I don't"  
  
"Funny" he remarked using his fake laugh. "That is not what these pictures say!"  
  
"Pictures?"  
  
Dylan threw them on the desk and Rommie picked them up.  
  
They were pictures of Her and John kissing as well as one picture of them doing sensual dance moves at the Rave.  
  
" An intelligence officer from Yabor came to the Andromeda for the second time. He came, showed me these pictures, and demanded that I take you off the case. Fortunatly, for you, I told him that you were pretending to return Orich's feelings in order to get information. This placated him."  
  
"Dylan, I can explain"  
  
"and you will"  
  
" What's between me and Orich is just a fling. Nothing more. He is a very lazy and unimportant member of the organization. He doesn't even go to the meetings."  
  
"You lied to me just for the sake of a fling?  
  
"No. I did it for the mission"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I knew that you would take me off the mission, if I told you and I also knew that I was the best person for the job. I had to do what needed to be done to finish it."  
  
" and you didnt see the need to avoid this...fling?" Oops, she hadn't sent that one coming, she figured that she could easily appeal to Dylan's dutiful side.  
  
"I'm sorry Dylan, sometimes I choose courses of action without thinking first."  
  
" Let's make a deal. You promise me that you'll break it off with Orich and I'll let you stay on the case. If I find out that you have either broken your promise or lied to me, I'll not only pull you off this mission, but send you to V-deck. Understood."  
  
"Understood" Rommie answered fearing that she would not keep this promise 


	7. “Look, I know how you feel about Rommie,...

"One more thing" Dylan said  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Give Orich back his necklace" he replied matter of factly.  
  
Rommie stared at him in surprise  
  
"You actually thought I believed that such an expensive piece of jewelry could be won at a dance contest?" he asked.  
  
Rommie kept quiet.  
  
"Also, I'm sending Harper to keep an eye on you. He will live in the human quarter, and you will report to him, as well as me. He is to make sure that there will be no more surprises on this mission"  
  
  
  
"Aye sir" said Rommie, who was starting to feel guilty and worried, and had the feeling that Dylan might becoming more suspicious, although he did seem to believe her lie regarding John. Saying that he was actually a decoy of John, not only protected him, but her as well, since Yabor intelligence would not really care about a decoy and Rommie did not get into as much trouble with Dylan, as he perceived the man to be an unimportant member and not the very guy he was looking for.  
  
  
  
A week later, Harper went into Dylan's office.  
  
"You wanted to see me?"  
  
"Yes. I did."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I want to you go to Yabor."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To assist Rommie, if necessary and keep an eye on her"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"She is having a fling with an unimportant member of the organization"  
  
"My Rom-doll, found someone?" Harper asked, feeling jealous.  
  
"Also, I have some suspicion that she may be getting having some sympathy for what the organization is trying to do."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"I found a book in her room. So, I need you to be there to make sure that she does not lose perspective and make sure that she breaks up with her fling because she promised me that she would."  
  
"okay, anything you say, but Rommie always keeps her promises."  
  
" I don't' want to alert Yabor intelligence of your presence, so I'll need you to go with a false identity."  
  
" You got it."  
  
"Also, you are to report to me.  
  
  
  
Later, as Harper was getting ready to leave, Beka came into his room.  
  
"Hey" he said "Came to say goodbye?"  
  
"Yeah, and to give you a warning"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Look, I know how you feel about Rommie, but lives could be at stake here. So don't cover for her."  
  
"I won't"  
  
"and don't let her convince you to report to us, something other than the truth."  
  
"I won't"  
  
"Because if I find out that you have been covering for her, you are going to pay for it!"  
  
"Okay, okay, I won't cover for her nor would there be any temptation to because she would never betray us."  
  
After Harper Left, Beka and Dylan were in the officers lounge, when Beka asked  
  
"Why Harper?"  
  
"Well, Tyr couldn't go because of the anti-Nietzschean sentiments of the planet's population, Trance has gone in advance of us to help with the plague of the Planet Gia, I need to be here to oversee things, and I need you here to help."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, one week later, on Yabor, Rommie and John were kissing their goodbyes, with Harper hidden in a bush in front of her door.  
  
" Hey! Rommie is still with that guy?" Harper thought in surprise. "She always keeps her promises."  
  
Rommie had told John that they should be more careful about outsiders knowing about their relationship since if one ever got captured, they could use one to make the other do betray themselves of the organization. So, they stopped seeing each other in public.  
  
Minutes after John left, Harper knocked on the door.  
  
"Harper?"  
  
"Hey Rom-doll. Did ya miss me?"  
  
" I didn't expect you to come so soon"  
  
"Well, life is full of surprises. Why haven't you broken up with that guy?"  
  
"Well, I can't just break up for no reason, I make circumstances for it to happen." Rommie said, feeling guilty.  
  
" I see. Look, I promised Beka that I wouldn't cover for you, but I'll give ya a week."  
  
"Thank you, Harper, you are too sweet" Here he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and all she can do is lie to him.  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Nice place."  
  
"Thanks"  
  
  
  
A month later in Command, Beka was reading Harper's message aloud to Tyr.  
  
"Well, Rom-doll kept her promise and broke up with Orich over his laziness and lack of dedication to the organization. Also, she gave him back his necklace"  
  
"If she were to tell him that the sky was purple, the boy would believe her." Tyr said cynically  
  
" But I'm sure he could verify what she said easily by keeping an eye on her. Besides, if for no other reason, her loyalty to Dylan will keep her in check."  
  
Meanwhile, back at the organization offices, Rommie and John were just talking about what was to be done in the weeks ahead, as well as flirting.  
  
"Why don't we go to your place to play some music that we bought and maybe, spend the night?"  
  
"I have a better idea," Rommie said, remembering how she told Harper soon after he arrived that she had broken it off and even pretended to be kind of sad. Also, she didn't wear her necklace, when she was around Harper. His coming to her place would have been too risky.  
  
"Why don't we go to your place better?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The next day, Rommie went to visit Harper.  
  
"Hey. I came to your room late last night and you weren't there"  
  
"I was trying to get some information about the mother action"  
  
"I see. Any luck?"  
  
"Well as it turns out, a special device that does certain calculations in certain ways is required"  
  
" Anyway I can help?"  
  
"no"  
  
"Oh"  
  
"You seem moody today"  
  
"No I'm not, just thinking"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Stuff"  
  
  
  
"What stuff?" She could see his pupils darting from place to place.  
  
"just stuff. See, I met a cute waitress and I want to get to know her, but I think that she might have a boyfriend, at least that's what this guy said."  
  
" Why don't you just be direct?"  
  
" Maybe…. Anyway, do you like, wanna go shopping in the human quarter?"  
  
"Sure. How about tomorrow?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Rommie looked forward to shopping with Harper and she knew that with discretion, no one at the human quarter would know that she was an android.  
  
Since it was a holiday, the human quarter was filled with shoppers wanting to find good deals. Harper saw a stand with delicious looking food.  
  
"That looks great! I'm gonna get some"  
  
"Wait Harper, let me check it with my sensors." Rommie said, remembering Harper's bad immune system  
  
"Thanks Rommie."  
  
"It's fine."  
  
Suddenly, Rommie, with her sensors, saw John and Lister up far ahead talking to some guy in a dark coat, and then seeming to be walking in her direction.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	8. "Why not just give me the report now?"

Hey Rommie, I thought that you broke up with this Orich guy?" Harper asked as he started to see them.  
  
"We did. Look, I'll explain later. Just hide for a minute"  
  
"Okay." He said kinda peeved. "I'll just go into that shop"  
  
"Lucretia?" John asked as he approached and kissed her. Fortunately for Rommie, Harper was not seeing them.  
  
"Yes it's me I'm just here walking around, doing some shopping."  
  
"Great to see you have a chance to relax. Lister and I were here to get some data from an informant. Who's your friend?"  
  
"Just some conspiracy theorist human trying to sell me some bogus information, that he perceives as truth"  
  
"I see. Where's your necklace?"  
  
"A part of the strap started to show some weakness, so I had to fix it, but I'm not done."  
  
"Well, I have to go now to play a card game with some of the guys. See you soon!" They kissed and he went with Lister."  
  
After they left, Rommie went into the shop.  
  
"Hey" she said nervously.  
  
"Hey"  
  
"About John, you see what happened was that despite being broken up, we spent the night together recently."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, we started to talk on some organization matter, one of the only ones he is interested in, and we started to flirt and things went on from there. He must have gotten the wrong impression despite what I said the day after it happened. However, I set him straight. I'm sure something similar has happened to you"  
  
"Yes it has" Harper said remembering a crew member on the Maru, who had left permanently several months before they found the Andromeda, and how they would go on and off in their relationship.  
  
"Look" he said, "Don't worry about this getting back to the others. "  
  
"Thank you Harper" she said, feeling unworthy of Harper's kindness. She didn't like having to lie to everybody.  
  
The next night, John and Rommie were working together on the mother project, at John's place when John, out of the blue, brought up an usual subject.  
  
"Would you like to move in with me?"  
  
"Move in?"  
  
"Sure why not? "  
  
Rommie could not afford to move in with John, on account of Harper's being there.  
  
"I don't think I'm ready for that step yet."  
  
"I see."  
  
"I need more time."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"However, I wouldn't mind spending the night"  
  
"Great thought! However, right now I'm in the mood for a walk to the Organization offices. So, be sure to bring your work stuff."  
  
As they sat and talked on a bench, Harper was in the bushes.  
  
"Wait a minute!" he thought. "She's still wearing that damn necklace and is still with that guy. They never broke up and all that information she has! She's been hiding it from us!"  
  
  
  
What had brought Harper to those same bushes was his date, with whom he had a fight in the nearby park. The minute he saw Rommie and John walking hand in hand, he hid. Fortunately for him, they were both too distracted with each other to notice him. Harper's image of Rommie as someone who is near perfect and would never lie to him, nor break her promises was shattered forever.  
  
  
  
Two weeks later, Dylan had just returned from a diplomatic errand on the Maru, when he went to talk to Beka for her debriefing regarding the ship's status.  
  
"So, how did everything go?"  
  
"Okay" Beka said a bit nervous and somber.  
  
"Any news from Harper?"  
  
"Yeah. There is, but why don't you rest first then worry about ship business?" Beka really wanted to postpone the bad news for as long as possible.  
  
"Why not give me the report now?" Dylan asked, sensing Beka's nervousness.  
  
" I just want you to rest"  
  
" Is there something I should know?"  
  
" Well, just read Harper's report." She commented as she reluctantly gave the flexi to him.  
  
  
  
Dylan could not believe what Harper wrote:  
  
" Rommie has been lying. She did not break up with Orich and she is holding out on us on the information side. I am pretending I don't know but she should get off the case."  
  
"I'm sorry Dylan."  
  
Dylan just gave his blank stare.  
  
"I'll be in the Observation lounge if anyone needs me."  
  
"Okay Dylan"  
  
He went, holding the fateful flexi in his hand.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	9. "She will spend some time in V-deck to t...

A while later, Rev came to the observation deck. He noticed that Dylan was still staring out into space, and that the flexi was on the floor a meter or two away from the latter.  
  
"Beka told me what happened." Rev said as he picked the flexi up from where it was thrown to.  
  
"And you're here to help?" he said evenly, trying to hid his feelings.. "Yeah I know, It's what you do."  
  
"Yes it is" Rev could sense the underlying anger and hurt. "Want to talk about it?".  
  
"How could she do this??" he asked himself and Rev as he took a deep breath to erect a firewall on his emotions. " I'd expect something like this from Tyr, not her"  
  
" Sometimes the heart overrules the mind" Rev said.  
  
"But how could she betray me and the others over some guy she just met.?"  
  
"Only the divine knows"  
  
" I'm going to allow her to return to the ship, but every bone in my body wants to kick out her of the crew." He said this with the intensity of someone trying to control a floodtide of anger. "I gave her another chance in this mission only because I thought that she would realize her duty and come around. Maybe I should not have done that. She actually lied to my face that day. Most of what she told me during my visit was a lie. I really wanted shake her by the shoulders to shake some sense into her" Dylan's remembrance of that day made him tense up. Rommie, despite all of her sensors, could not detect even a fraction of the anger and hurt she had caused him that day.  
  
" You had faith in her, which was well founded." Rev did not want Dylan to start being a Cynic.  
  
"No it wasn't. She choose some guy and her own kind over me and the crew." Dylan's eyes grew dark, as he stood there thinking.  
  
"I'm sure that there is more to it then that" Rev said gently. "She cares for all of you. I'm sure that she did not make this decision lightly." Rev, like Beka was worried on how a second betrayal would affect Dylan. It was bad enough to be betrayed once, but twice?  
  
"So, I take it we are picking her up?"  
  
"Yes we are. She will spend some time in V-deck to think about what she did." Dylan's eyes were dark and his face was set to hard, as he tightened his grip on the railing of the Observation Deck. He was going to set her straight and would be damn if he lost another crewmember.  
  
Meanwhile, on Yabor, Harper and Rommie were walking through the marketplace of the Human quarter. It was filled with people and various stands of things from fruit to jewelry, to live snakes. Most of the businesses were mom and pop stands that depended on the ordinary human folk of the area. The stands consisted of tables made of wood, various merchandise on them, and a tent to cover it all.  
  
"So how are things going with the new girl?" Rommie asked, as she looked at a pretty blue bracelet, with a green trimming.  
  
"Fine" Harper, was looking at the various gadgets at the next-door stand.  
  
"She's a dancer?" she asked as she tried on another bracelet, this time with a intricate trimming that was a dark magenta, in the inside and a light pastel pink on the outside.  
  
"Yeah" Harper was pretending to look at this gadget that massaged shoulders.  
  
"Why all the monosyllables?" Rommie was now looking at scarves.  
  
"No reason, just don't feel like talking" Lately, Harper had been finding it more and more difficult to pretend that everything was all right. It was hard to talk to Rommie knowing that 90% of what she said to him was a lie. He feigned interest in this hat, that was a beret, but with a bigger tail and was plaid.  
  
Rommie, on her part was feeling guilty about all the lying she's had to do, so she started being more attentive to Harper to make up for it. This just irritated him more.  
  
"So, why don't we go rent a surf board and have some fun with that and you could teach me? Rommie asked in a fit of guilt inspired thinking. She knew that Harper loved it and would be flattered to teach her. She tried on yet another bracelet, but was black with a green trim, and it didn't suit her.  
  
"Maybe, I have a date with this dancer" Harper tried yet another hat, whose design was a swerve that reached a conclusion at the top with a odd looking gray cube.  
  
"I see. Just make sure she doesn't have a boyfriend like the last one" she said teasingly. Harper's last girlfriend had a big burly boyfriend, who caught them in bed, and Harper barely escaped with his life. He had the black eye to show for it though.  
  
"Haha whatever" he said in his annoyed voice. Everything Rommie was doing and saying was irritating to Harper. Her attentiveness, her joking, and even the way she tried to spend a good amount of time with him.  
  
She, lately was sensing this change of tone in Harper and, in her need to reassure herself, just subconsciously convinced herself Harper's trouble with women on this planet was what got him in this mood.  
  
  
  
"Well I have to go to a meeting"  
  
"Bye have a good time" Harper said, figuring that she'd be going to see Orich or Jerkric, as he called the guy mentally.  
  
Rommie and John met at a secluded lake, where not many went. It was a deep torquise blue, and it reflected the moonlight in streaks of white. John and Rommie were seated on the green grass. The night was cool, but Rommie was wearing a light pastel dress, and John was wearing a dark blue turtle neck with matching pants.  
  
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" John asked. They were away from the city, so they could see the stars perfectly.  
  
Rommie was not listening, she was thinking about how things were going to work out and wanted to see the day when the lies would end.  
  
"Rommie??"  
  
"Sorry, you were saying?" Rommie immediately turned her attention back to John  
  
"The night sky?"  
  
"Yeah, it's beautiful" She could not help but notice it once her attention drifted back. No use in worrying about the future.  
  
" Have you thought adding more commitment to our relationship?" John had been thinking along these lines for a while now.  
  
"oh? What do you mean?"  
  
"You know what I mean, the biggest commitment maker of them all"  
  
Then it hit her. John was thinking about marriage, but she couldn't think that far ahead, she had shut down that part of her brain. She wanted to live moment-by-moment, decision-by-decision.  
  
"John, why don't we just focus on the present for now"  
  
"You know, Lucretia, that's the second time you have said something like that. Why are you so afraid of commitment?" John's face was serious.  
  
"I'm not, I just don't want to rush things" Rommie hoped that John did not suspect anything. She hoped all the lying and stalling would end soon.  
  
"Okay, I'll respect that" With those words, they kissed and it went on from there.  
  
  
  
And on the Andromeda, Tyr and Dylan were getting ready to pick up Rommie and Harper.  
  
"What if she resists?" Tyr asked, "She is an android"  
  
" We could disable her with a shot. However, that is a last resort measure." Dylan did not relish this possibility  
  
  
  
Some time passed, and one day, Rommie was getting back from a date with John and when she got to her room, she saw Dylan, Tyr, and Harper standing next to her desk with guns or force lances.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	10. “Look, Rommie, you are leaving this miss...

Rommie stopped in her tracks and looked at the three men with wide, surprised eyes. Dylan, on the other hand, had his blank stare, and his eyes, now darker were looking at Rommie intently and angrily. Tyr was by at Dylan's right, using his brown eyes to tell her that he meant business. Harper, for his part, also looked at Rommie with anger plus interest.  
  
"Dylan?" This was the last thing she wanted and expected. She was hoping for more time to make the decisions she needed to make  
  
"We're here to take you back, Rommie" Dylan replied  
  
"and the mission?" Rommie was having trouble taking this all in.  
  
"We will wrap it up somehow and you will go back to the ship, where you will spend time in V-deck" Dylan's was using his 'don't argue with me voice'  
  
"What?" She asked this although she knew the answer: Harper had somehow caught her with John and hadn't told her, then reported it to the crew. But she couldn't leave. She loved John and couldn't possibly turn him nor their friends in.  
  
"I dumbly trusted you, Rommie, but then I saw you with the guy, wearing his necklace, carrying information that you hadn't given us." When she heard his reply she could hear several weeks worth of supressed anger rear its ugly head.  
  
"Where is the information?" Tyr demanded. Rommie's act of betrayal did not affect him in the same way as it did Dylan and Harper as he was never close with the Avatar, whose humanity he doubted.  
  
"In that computer I got"  
  
"Get it" Dylan ordered  
  
"Okay, but I have to fix something here."  
  
"Well, do it "Tyr said impatiently.  
  
"With her A.I. Quickness, she shorted out the computer and had it go on fire"  
  
  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Dylan demanded to know. His face was turning red and his eyes started to look more brown than blue.  
  
"What does it look like?" Rommie retorted after she put out the fire. As much as she hated to do this to Dylan, she did not want to turn in her friends at the organization, especially John.  
  
"These people are not terrorist or criminals!" Rommie exclaimed, continuing "They just want to make life better for Synthetic life forms by raising self awareness. I've come to know many of them"  
  
"Especially Orich" Harper interjected sarcastically.  
  
"Rommie, you are not being objective and have become emotionally attached. I suggest that you get off this case" Dylan answered her.  
  
" Well neither are you. You just assume that they are these dangerous radicals instead of trying to see what they are really like"  
  
"Oh please" Tyr said.  
  
"What he said" Harper added.  
  
"Look, Rommie, you are leaving this mission and that is final!" he said, voice rising just a little.  
  
"What if I don't want to go?"  
  
"This is not a debate. You are going."  
  
Suddenly, Rommie remembered that she had a mini-smoke bomb in her desk, thanks to a friend from the organization, in case of capture from the authorities. With her unmatchable android reflexes, she used it, and then left the room.  
  
Once she was safe, she started to cry from the guilt and implications of what she just did. Rommie would probably never see them again, and they would more likely than never see her as a friend again.  
  
Meanwhile, as the smoke cleared, all three men were stunned at how Rommie got out of their grasp.  
  
"Well, I guess she's not coming with us" Tyr remarked.  
  
" Yes she is." Dylan stated with more determination than ever. " I have reason to believe , thanks to Yabor intelligence, that this organization could be getting progressively more violent when the new leadership comes in." Dylan wanted to prevent Rommie from making what he perceived to be a big mistake  
  
Later, Rommie went to John's apartment and told him that some people helping Yabor intelligence tried to get information from her, but she burnt out the computer and used a smoke bomb.  
  
Back in Rommie's former apartment, the three men were trying to figure out ways to get Rommie to come back. 


	11. High Guard vs. High Guard

As they were thinking of a way to get her back, they were searching her room for any information or clues.  
  
Harper, upon finding black lingerie of Rommie's, stared at it, until Dylan yelled at him.  
  
"Mr. Harper! Focus on the task at hand! We must find a way to get Rommie back!"  
  
"Maybe, if we could somehow discredit the organization and this Orich fellow, in the Avatar's eyes" Tyr said after some thinking  
  
"You mean like making it look like Jerkrich cheated on her?" Harper asked.  
  
"That could work" Tyr said, "or we could discredit the Avatar herself"  
  
"I prefer the first plan" Harper commented.  
  
After some agonizing, Dylan made his decision.  
  
It was a pleasant day, and Rommie was in bed, at John's apartment, just cuddling John, when the doorbell rang. John got it, and when he came back, he had a grim look on his face, as well as a bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Oh how sweet!!" Rommie exclaimed. She thought that the flowers were from John, who was pretending to be grim.  
  
"They are not from me." He said. "They are from a certain Daniel. Who's that?" he was getting mad and jealous.  
  
" I don't know any Daniel" Rommie answered, worried.  
  
"Then why would he send you flowers?"  
  
" It must be a mistake or some practical joke.  
  
"No, it is directed to you." Is there something you want to tell me?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Is this why you have been reluctant to make a further commitment? The note here is quite.. deep."  
  
"No!" Rommie was getting desperate. She gave up a lot for this relationship, and she didn't want to lose John.  
  
" GET OUT!"  
  
"But John…"  
  
"GET OUT! NOW!!"  
  
With tears in her eyes, Rommie left his apartment.  
  
  
  
The next day, Rommie was at a friend's house, when, John came in.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't trust you, Rommie. Yolanda told me that when you were telling her that you didn't know who this Daniel was, that you were telling the truth. She could tell by feeling your heartrate and touching your arm. I was too upset to be able to disern myself. Forgive me, Rommie. It's just that sometimes I have this fear of losing you, of you keeping a part of yourself from me."  
  
" I forgive you, John." Rommie said as she kissed him deeply.  
  
Later, on as they were taking their walk, Harper and Dylan saw them from the bushes.  
  
"Guess the plan didn't work" Harper commented.  
  
"Don't worry, I have a plan B" Dylan said.  
  
As Rommie was walking on her own the next day, a young boy gave her a note, which was from Dylan it said.  
  
"Rommie, if you do not leave with us, I will reveal who you are to Orich and the rest of your friends at the organization. You have a week"  
  
This was not good. She knew well from working with Dylan that bluffed rarely if at all. What was she going to do??  
  
  
  
Back in Rommie's former room, Dylan, Harper and Tyr were discussing plan B.  
  
"Do you think it will work?" Tyr asked. He was leaning on the desk.  
  
"It should. If her identity is revealed, they won't let her stay anyway." Dylan replied as he was sitting on the bed.  
  
"What about Yabor intelligence?"  
  
"I'll think of something, for now, getting Rommie back is more important."  
  
  
  
The next day, after some thinking and reluctance, Rommie had a counter plan. She went to talk to one of the leaders, whose name was Jika  
  
"Jika, I need to talk to you"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I have it on good information, from an informant, whose name I can't reveal, that some people helping Yabor intelligence will claim that someone in the organization is working for them, eventhough it is not true." Rommie hated having to lie again, but it was necessary if she had any chance of happiness.  
  
"I see" Jika believed Rommie, as she had proven herself. "Well, it's great that you told us, as now we will not let it destroy us from within!"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Though channels they had, Dylan gave the revealing information. He was hoping that, when Rommie was ostracized, she would come back, or at least quit the organization. Dylan just hoped that she would understand that he did it for her own good.  
  
However, through some informants, Dylan, Harper, and Tyr found out that the information was instantly discredited, as it seems they were forewarned about it.  
  
"Seems like Rommie has some clout and credibility in the organization." Dylan remarked, surprised that this plan did not work.  
  
"So, what are we gonna do?" Harper asked .At the rate they seem to be going, in his opinion, they will have gone through to plan Z and Rommie still would not be back with them.  
  
"Now its time for Plan C" Dylan said.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You'll see"  
  
  
  
TBC 


	12. "How could you??"

Meanwhile, on the Andromeda, both Holo and ship Rommie were discussing the situation of their avatar sister in one of the many hallways.  
  
"Do you think she'll come back?" the hologram said.  
  
"It's hard to tell. Emotional beings are so unpredictable. Who could know that she would betray us all?" Ship Rommie replied.  
  
"I thought that her love for our captain would keep her from doing what she did. Ironic, isn't it? Instead of keeping her loyal, her emotions are the cause of her betrayal  
  
."  
  
"The captain seemed determined to get her back. I'm sure that soon she will soon be back with us."  
  
Beka and Trance were also talking about Rommie in the officer's lounge.  
  
"So, any idea how this turns out?" Beka asked Trance  
  
"We never sent her on this mission, in my future" Trance replied somberly.  
  
"Who would have thought?" Beka was shocked when she had read Harper's report that said that Rommie had been lying about her relationship with this Orich, and the amount of information she had.  
  
"Things happen" Trance said, "and people make decisions they usually would not make."  
  
"Dylan was so devastated when I gave him that report. You should have seen the look in his eyes, and face. To tell you the truth, I'm mad at her. How could she do this to him?"  
  
"Hopefully, Dylan will get her to come back" Trance answered.  
  
"Though part of me doesn't know if I want her back" Beka answered grimly.  
  
  
  
"You're gonna do what????" Harper asked incredulously when he heard the plan  
  
"It's what must be done. Believe me, I've run through the other options." Dylan was not happy about this fact.  
  
"But Rommie has sensors for weapons, and I should know, I built them."  
  
"There's a way around that, I have equipment for hiding from android sensors back on the Maru"  
  
While this conversation was going on, Rommie was at the rave, dancing with John, the lights were flashing to the beat of the music and sensual, Olian techno was playing quite loudly.  
  
"I'm so glad you decided to move in" John said or rather yelled over the music.  
  
"So am I". Rommie had been glad that she could start to move on. Dylan sent, via a young boy, a letter saying that he understood her decision and would respect it. She hoped that some day, he could forgive her.  
  
  
  
"Why don't we go home?" Rommie asked rather coyly  
  
"I'd love to, but I have meet with some of the leaders later on tonight. You'll have to go home without me, but I'll be back later"  
  
"I'll be waiting up" she kissed him.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, with their anti-android sensor equipment and some weapons, Dylan and Tyr were hiding behind some trees, near John's place.  
  
" I can't believe we went through so much trouble just to get a machine back," Tyr whispered  
  
"She is more than that" Dylan said.  
  
"Wait! I see her coming!"  
  
There she was, wearing a leather jacket and pants as well as a white shirt. No one was around, and so.. Dylan, with guilt took his shot.  
  
Rommie on her part, was unaware of Dylan and Tyr's presence until she felt, the disabling shot.  
  
"Dylan????" she said as she saw him come out of the bushes and as she fell.  
  
I'm sorry I had to do this, Rommie. It was for your own good."  
  
"How could you??" She was hurt  
  
"I had no choice."  
  
"But in your letter you said….."  
  
" Oh please, as if you were the epitome of honesty" Tyr said in his annoyed voice.  
  
"Let's get you to the Maru" Dylan ordered; only focusing on the situation at hand. So between the two of them, they took her to the Maru. Fortunately for them, Rommie could still limp in a fashion, so it was not as difficult.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Rommie said in her near crying tone. "Why didn't you respect my decision?"  
  
"Because" Dylan replied, " I have good evidence that this organization will turn more violent and I don't want to you be a part of it."  
  
"But it's my decision!! Would you have done this if I had been an organic??"  
  
"Be quiet" Tyr said, becoming more and more annoyed with what he felt was a pointless exercise.  
  
"Yes I would have" Dylan said firmly  
  
  
  
After they got her to the Maru, they left her with Harper, as they went to get supplies.  
  
Rommie was restrained using handcuffs and foot cuffs specifically made for androids. As Harper was repairing her, neither spoke as he was still angry with Rommie and she did not know what to say to Harper. Also, she was quite sad about having to leave John, and was getting a bit mad at Dylan for not respecting her decision.  
  
"That does it, I'm going to escape" she said to herself in her thoughts. 


	13. Back on the Homefront

Meanwhile, a young human teenager, who was an ally of the organization, had seen Rommie being half dragged to the Maru at the main spaceport and went to tell John, who was at the main organizational offices. He was a young boy with purple dyed hair and pink contacts on his eyes. He went to the organizational offices to tell him when he got out of his meeting.  
  
"John! John! A human and an Uber kidnapped Lucretia!!"  
  
"What?" he couldn't believe it; the love of his life has been kidnapped.  
  
"Yeah! I saw them. They were dragging her to the ship. I went to get you, while a friend of mine kept an eye on it. Unfortunately, they left in the time it took me to find you as you were in one of those 'secret conferences', where they don't allow visitors"  
  
John cursed having one of those meetings tonight of all nights.  
  
"They must have been the same people who tried to take her before. One of them knew where to shoot in order to disable her." John knew that he must rescue Lucretia.  
  
On the Maru, all was quiet except for Dylan and Tyr coordinating their efforts for takeoff and slipstream. By the time they had gotten back, Harper had been finished fixing Rommie except for a few minor things that needed to wait until they got to the ship. It was quite a tense trip, as Dylan and Harper were quite angry at Rommie and she was mad at them, especially Dylan for taking away her choice.  
  
Once, on the ship, Dylan had Tyr escort her to V-deck after Harper had done the finishing touches on the repair. Once there, Rommie just sat down on the bed to think. Then, inconveniently, holo-Rommie appeared.  
  
"So, was it worth it?" the hologram asked, annoyed.  
  
"I love him, and I believe in the organization. Dylan had no right!" she was upset and the hologram was annoying her.  
  
" He is your captain"  
  
"I'm a free being!" Rommie said with feeling.  
  
" You had a duty and you did not come through" the hologram replied and she disappeared.  
  
Back at the officers' lounge, Dylan and Beka were sitting eating, though Dylan was picking at his food.  
  
Beka asked "So, you got her back?"  
  
"Yeah" Dylan replied somberly.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"She'll stay in V-deck for a while, then little by little, she will re-earn the trust she lost" he looked at his drink intently, trying to mask the anger that had resurfaced  
  
"I see" Beka replied quietly, not fooled by Dylan's attempts to hide his anger.  
  
The next day, Rev went to talk to Harper at one of the machine shops. The latter was working on some parts that the ship needed.  
  
"I went to see her today."  
  
"That's nice, Rev" Harper said, rather annoyed at his bringing up the subject of visiting.  
  
"She seemed rather sad"  
  
"oh boo hoo hoo" Harper said sarcastically; He still could not get over what Rommie had done to him.  
  
" You should try to forgive her. I'm sure that she is sorry for what she did"  
  
"Yeah right. She betrayed us, her friends, for the sake of that Jerkric"  
  
"Harper…….."  
  
"Yeah yeah please spare me your crap about forgiveness and all that other stuff about seeing the good in others." Harper did not want to hear of forgiveness.  
  
" Dylan is willing to forgive her and is even giving her a second chance."  
  
"But he's Dylan" Harper was not impressed by Rev's argument.  
  
Later, Dylan, finally decided to visit. He had decided to postpone it until he felt he was ready enough to be rational.  
  
Rommie had been on her own, thinking, and reminiscing about John, when, Dylan came in.  
  
"Dylan?"  
  
"Yes it's me." He said matter-of-factly. "So, do you have anything to say?  
  
"I'm sorry I had to do what I had to do" Rommie said.  
  
"You didn't have to do it" Dylan replied, "What you had to do was your duty." Some of the masked anger showed, as Rommie could detect fast eye movement, and a rise in blood pressure.  
  
"But you had no right to ignore my decision. Only I have a right to decide what is best for me."  
  
" You didn't have the information I had"  
  
"I'm the one in the organization, remember? I have the better information."  
  
"And you are such a reliable informant, aren't you?" Rommie could hear the venom of anger in his voice, as her presence and attitude was starting to wear down Dylan's patience.  
  
"Captain" Ship Rommie said, "Sorry to interrupt you, but the representative from Ipenema wants to talk to you"  
  
"Put it to my quarters" Dylan replied, "We'll talk later, Rommie"  
  
  
  
That night, Dylan, in his dreams, relived the day of Rhade's betrayal, starting from the moment, where he came into the command deck and shot Refractions of the Dawn. As he again fought Rhade in his dream, the latter suddenly morphed into Rommie fighting him. Just as Dylan was about to say something, he woke up. After realizing that it would be sleepless night, he went to the Observation Deck to think.  
  
This dream let loose feelings, regarding what Rhade and Rommie did. They were like a lunatic trapped in a small room that is never opened, who is trying to get out, and was starting to succeed by making some progress, while Dylan's subconscious was like the frantic family member trying to reinforce the lock.  
  
The next day, he went to see Rommie again, and today, he had some flexis with him.  
  
"Hey," Rommie said trying to be nonchalant  
  
  
  
"Hey" he had his serious face on. "I got these for you. They are copies of speeches, and essays regarding honor, duty, and integrity. I thought that by reading it the organic way, you can learn better the lessons taught in these flexis." He put them on the small nightstand.  
  
Rommie could sense the hidden anger, with her sensors detecting the various symptoms, but she kept quiet.  
  
"Well I have my duties" He said finally after a strategic silence.  
  
Later, Dylan asked Ship Rommie,  
  
"Andromeda, is Rommie reading the flexis I gave her?"  
  
"She is… thinking"  
  
"You mean daydreaming" Dylan said, annoyed.  
  
Later on, Beka came to visit Rommie in her V-deck cell. It, to her, looked just like the one she stayed at when she had her flash problem; single bed, a nightstand, etc. Rommie on her part was daydreaming, as she was lonely, angry and feeling guilty.  
  
"Rommie?"  
  
She didn't answer as she was daydreaming.  
  
"Rommie?!?"  
  
"Yeah? Sorry, I was uh… thinking"  
  
"You mean daydreaming. Look, I wanted to talk to you"  
  
"oh?"  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
"I saw that the organization was not a danger, and I couldn't turn in any of the members"  
  
"Not to mention the fact that you met someone"  
  
"Beka…"  
  
"Don't… look, Dylan had a lot of faith in you. He defended you at least twice from Yabor intelligence. Even when you lied to him the first time have gave ya another chance, but what did you do? Lie to him again." As if he hasn't had enough of being betrayed" Beka's anger stemmed from seeing Dylan hurt and betrayed.  
  
Rommie did not have anything to say to that.  
  
"And what about Harper?" Beka continued. "He trusted You completely and now he's very hurt. Since you guys have come back, he's being doing lots of extra work, for comfort. All for what? For some guy who is eloquent, good looking, and a good lay?"  
  
"There was more to it than that!!" Rommie said getting upset.  
  
" Ya I'm sure" Beka replied sarcastically.  
  
"I did not mean to hurt anyone"  
  
"But ya did."  
  
"Well, I gotta go and work on the Maru, I'll see you later. Think about what I just said." Talking to Rommie sort of helped Beka's feelings of anger, as she was able to express what she felt. Rev had been right.  
  
"bye"  
  
  
  
Harper, after some more encouragement from Rev Bem, went to see Rommie. When he came in, he saw that she was working on something. Trance, with Dylan's permission had given her some stuff that she needed help with. Beka had done the same. They figured that she should be kept busy.  
  
"Hey" he said, trying to be civil.  
  
"Harper, I'm really sorry…"  
  
"Look" Harper interrupted her as his anger increased with every minute he was in there with her" I trusted you. I even broke a promise, which I made to Beka, twice, but what do you do? Lie to me so you could be with that Jerkric"  
  
"Harper please…"  
  
"Harper please nothing!" he was getting mad. "I'm still really pissed at you. I thought that you would be someone who would never pull a fast one on me, but what ya did.  
  
"Harper.. "  
  
"Look, I don't wanna hear anymore of your honeyed apologies. I just wanted to tell you how I felt. Maybe I will forgive you, maybe not, but for now, I am leaving"  
  
After he left, Rommie started to cry about the lost of trust she had with Harper, he started to care about him, and really wanted his forgiveness. She felt bad about hurting him so deeply, given what he's been through.  
  
Two months later, Dylan and Beka were on the command deck, when she asked,  
  
"So, when are we going to let Rommie out?" Beka was still kind of mad, but she figured that it was time that Rommie started to work and try to re-earn some trust.  
  
" As soon as I think that she is ready" Dylan replied.  
  
"Look, we have very few people on this crew. We can't follow High Guard protocols to the foot of the letter"  
  
"I know, but she needs to stay in there longer"  
  
"Until when?".  
  
"Until I feel that she is ready" Dylan said in a tone that indicated that he would not be moved  
  
"Are you sure that your personal feelings have nothing to do with this?"  
  
"They don't."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm the Vedran empress"  
  
Dylan just looked at her, with his annoyed face.  
  
"Look," Beka continued, " I know that you feel angry, betrayed, especially given what has happened before, but we can't keep her in there forever"  
  
Later, when, Dylan was at the observation deck, when Rev came to see him.  
  
"Beka told me that you have been reluctant to release Rommie from her cell"  
  
"She needs more time to think about what she did" Dylan said quietly. He had no wish to release her.  
  
"I think I know what the problem is"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Her betrayal rekindled all the feelings of anger and hurt that you feel about the betrayal of your first officer, and so you find it hard to forgive her, despite your efforts. Remember, forgiveness is not for the benefit of the person that is being forgiven, but for the benefit of the one who was hurt. By forgiving, you are allowing yourself to heal."  
  
"I see" What Rev had said had gotten him to think.  
  
Two weeks later, after much thinking, Dylan released Rommie from her V-deck cell and hoped that life would go on.  
  
TBC 


	14. Tha Magic Shop

A month after her release, Rommie was doing some diagnostics, which were almost done, when she started to daydream about various things such as her good times with John, however, she heard a male voice.  
  
"Rommie? Quit daydreaming!"  
  
She came back to reality, and found Dylan there, giving her his annoyed look.  
  
"I was uh almost finished"  
  
"Not good enough. Get your work done." Dylan then left to go to his duties.  
  
The next day, when he arrived on the bridge, Dylan noticed Rommie with an outfit that had a dark purple desighn of Opian originaand was pink. Usually, it would not really bother him to see her wear it, but today it did.  
  
"What's with the outfit? I feel that it is not appropriate" Dylan never did think it was appropriate, but had indulged her, until now.  
  
"But you didn't say anything before…"  
  
"Well, I'm saying it now. Please go change"  
  
And so she did. Rommie was noticing that unimportant little things, which she did were starting to bother Dylan. If it wasn't her outfits , it was something else.  
  
"What was that all about?" Beka asked. She had heard the tail end of the conversation.  
  
"Rommie was wearing something inappropriate"  
  
"But she's worn that outfit before"  
  
"It's still inappropriate"  
  
"I see. You seem to be picking on her a lot lately"  
  
"! As the captain it is my right to decided what is appropriate and not appropriate to wear for duty!" Dylan was starting to get impatient and annoyed.  
  
"Oooh.. kaay" Beka decided to drop the subject, as she knew well that Dylan's beef was not with Rommie's outfit.  
  
A bit later, Rommie had changed and had put on a High Guard uniform to be on the safe side.  
  
"That's better." Dylan commented as she came back.  
  
More of Dylan's complaining over small things could be seen during the next diplomatic function they had. It consisted of governement officials from several planets in a system, who were expressing interest in joining the Commonwealth. Over the course of the evening, Dylan always seemed to have something to complain about to Rommie.  
  
When she was talking to one of the guests, Dylan interrupted them.  
  
"Sorry, but Andromeda has to tend to the other guests".  
  
As they were walking together, Dylan said,  
  
"You shouldn't let a guest monopolize your attention"  
  
"Aye" she replied as he left to socialize with guests, as she was about to do.  
  
Then, Dylan complained that Rommie had arranged for too much food to be brought. Rommie had always done this, as even she could not estimate how much food people would eat, and she figured that the crew would eat the leftovers. To boot, he also told her that her dress was too short.  
  
"Funny" she thought, "I always wear my formal dresses at this length." She knew, however, the true reason of his complaining.  
  
The day after, Dylan was at his quarters doing paperwork, when Rev came in.  
  
"What brings you here, Rev?"  
  
"I wanted to talk to you"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"We have all noticed how you've been tending be bother by every little thing that Rommie does"  
  
"What makes you say that?" Dylan did not really want to talk about this.  
  
"Well, you complain about things that you didn't complain about before. Something tells me that you haven't quite forgiven her, nor allowed yourself to let go of your anger."  
  
Dylan thought for a minute before he said.  
  
" I've forgiven her."  
  
"have you? It seems that since you don't want to lash at her for what she did, you lash at little things as they bother you now, and they help let out your anger."  
  
" No I don't"  
  
"Are you sure? Well, I have to go back to my prayers. Think about what I said." Rev decided it would be better to have Dylan think about things.  
  
"Will do" Dylan replied as Rev left.  
  
  
  
The next week, there was to be a conference on a planet called Kambu. During this conference, the whole crew except for Tyr and Rev attended a celebration. While she was schmoozing at the party, she met a young woman by the name of Jalicia. She was human with ordinary brown eyes and brown hair. She had some interesting stories to tell and Rommie enjoyed them.  
  
"I knew what troubles you, my child" she said, as they went to a private area to converse.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can't be with the one you love"  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I have my ways" she answered mysteriously. Rommie figured that somehow he had some connection to the organization by being an ally or a spy of it., and had made the connection somehow. But how??  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I have a duty to stay at this party"  
  
"No problem, I understand. Tell me more about yourself"  
  
  
  
And so Rommie did, but neglected on purpose to talk about her mission to Yabor.  
  
Late that night, Jalicia, whom Rommie had become friends with, got Rommie to go with her to this place, which turned out to be a magic shop. It had herbs, powders, and other things. Rommie only went because there was something trustworthy about Jalicia and going with her by sneaking out seemed like the right thing to do. Also, it was late, and everyone else was asleep in their hotel rooms.  
  
"A magic shop?" Rommie asked incredulously " There is no such thing as magic, just science you can't understand."  
  
  
  
"There are times when one must have faith" she replied as a young man with purple eyes and red hair come up to them and asked if they needed anything.  
  
"So, tell me about the various so-called magic supplies." Rommie was rather curious.  
  
"Well….." and so Jalicia told her about the various things.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Dylan got a call from Rev.  
  
"Dylan?"  
  
"Yes?" he answered suppressing a groan of tiredness.  
  
"As it turns out Planet Binbian needs our help sooner than they realized. The government was wondering if you could come sooner."  
  
"Will do." Dylan then proceeded to call everyone, all of whom, but Rommie responded.  
  
"Where is she?" Beka asked "We gotta go soon"  
  
"Probably met another guy so she will….."  
  
" Stop with the jokes!" Dylan said " You guys go to the Maru, and I'll try to find her.  
  
  
  
An hour laterBeka, and Harper were waiting on the Maru, while, Dylan waiting for Rommie at the Hotel, as well as looking around in the local area. Rommie was still at the magic shop, unbeknownst to them. She had gotten engrossed in some of the erotic stories that she found copies of, as well as learning how, this magic stuff really worked.  
  
"oh no! It's getting late! I'd better get back before they find me."  
  
"Well, I've had a good time" Jalicia said. "Here's my contact information"  
  
"Thanx. Here's mine, but don't give it to anyone"  
  
Just as she was about to reach the hotel, she saw Dylan come her way.  
  
"Where in the hell where you?" he was angry.  
  
"I went with a new friend to see a magic shop"  
  
"Friend?"  
  
"Don't' worry it's a she"  
  
"Why did you spend the night at a magic shop?"  
  
"Out of curiosity."  
  
"We'll talk later; we have to go to that planet to help sooner than planned" Dylan said this as he had his blank face on.  
  
As they came in Harper asked  
  
"So, did you meet a new guy?"  
  
"No. a new friend. She taught me a little about so-called magic. "  
  
Dylan just glared at her. He was not pleased that she was not there when he needed her to be there.  
  
Back at the ship, Dylan had Rommie come into his office.  
  
"Why did you run off?"  
  
"I did not run off! The party was over, and I was free to do as I pleased"  
  
"Why didn't you answer my call on your comm"  
  
"I didn't get your call"  
  
Dylan did not believe this, even though Rommie was telling the truth.  
  
"How could you not get my call, given all your sensors and you built in com?  
  
" I can't explain it, but I didn't get your call" Rommie was getting nervous as she was afraid that Dylan would not believe her.  
  
"Maybe it was magic" he said sarcastically "magic called 'let's turn off my comm.' "  
  
"Dylan, I would never deliberately do that!"  
  
"the same way you would never lie to me?"  
  
Rommie sighed and said nothing, and was starting to get a bit peeved. It was tiring that she still had to prove and reprove herself and that she couldn't do anything without Dylan's being critical.  
  
"Look Dylan, what I am telling you is the truth and if you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm tired of being on trial here. What do I have to do to get you to trust me again??"  
  
"A lot" Dylan said simply.  
  
  
  
A few days later, a surprise visitor came to the Andromeda. 


	15. The reunion and the Confrontation

It was Jalicia; she had some books and other stuff with her. Once she was let on board, Rommie went to meet her.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Hello!" I was wondering if I could come and stay for a visit, then you could drop me off on a planet, where I'd find my own way home."  
  
"Certainly! I don't think the captain will mind" Rommie replied although she wasn't sure about the last part of her last statement.  
  
  
  
"Hello" Dylan interjected as he came to see the new guest. "And your…."  
  
"My new friend, Jalicia" Rommie answered. "Jalicia, this is Captain Hunt."  
  
"Rommie didn't mention that you would be coming here."  
  
"I came for surprise visit"  
  
"Oh?" Dylan was suspicious. "That was fast"  
  
"Well, I'll show you to your quarters" Rommie piped in and so they went to her quarters.  
  
"Well these quarters are quite nice" Jalicia said. They were quite spacious; there was a nice black couch, and a gray love seat. Also there were Vedran abstract paintings and tactful light fixtures.  
  
"I'm glad you are comfortable." Rommie was glad that Jalicia had come; she was fun to be with.  
  
Later on, Dylan again called Rommie to her office. He did not like having a surprise guest.  
  
"Why did you let her stay without consulting me?" Dylan asked.  
  
"I didn't think you'd mind"  
  
"Well, I do. There's something odd about her"  
  
Rommie just stayed there and sighed under her breath.  
  
"However, I will not make her leave, but see to it that she is kept an eye on."  
  
"Aye. Well, I'll go attend to my guest"  
  
"You do that," Dylan said simply.  
  
Later on, in Jalicia's room, they were chatting amicably, when she said,  
  
"I have something for you"  
  
"What?" Rommie was not expecting any gifts.  
  
" Some books." Jalicia answered as she gave them to her.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes, but promise me you'll read this one, with the mode you call 'privacy' "?  
  
"Okay" Rommie's curiosity was peaked.  
  
Then, they chatted some more until it was time for Rommie to go on duty.  
  
That night, while everyone else was asleep, Rommie engaged privacy mode, which was not unusual for her. When she opened the book, a piece of paper fell out and it was a letter from John.  
  
"Lucretia,  
  
Jalicia told me that somehow she was able to have access to where you are being held prisoner. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't given up on you and that you should try to get to me, information as to the place where you are, so I, and some of my friends can rescue you. I love you and we will be together again.  
  
  
  
Love always,  
  
John.  
  
Rommie was shocked to say the least. So, John assumed that she had been kidnapped and had not given up hope on her. To know the latter piece of information meant happiness and guilt for Rommie, as she had had to lie to him too. However, she planned to tell him the truth, somehow, somewhere. How was she to give her response to Jalicia? The next day, she had a plan.  
  
Under the auspice of privacy mode, she wrote this to John.  
  
John,  
  
Unfortunately, it is unsafe for me to try to escape; just writing you this note invoke some risk. Please don't try to rescue or find me until I give the go ahead. I love you and I hope to see you soon.  
  
Rommie.  
  
After writing this note, she put it in a book, and told Jalicia to look at it hard, and she understood.  
  
  
  
For the rest of Jalicia's visit, they just sat and chatted about various things.  
  
  
  
Back on Yabor, John was impatiently waiting for Jalicia to come. As he was reading a novel, he stopped to think about how he ran into Jalicia. He had been walking down the park where he and Rommie used to go, and just as he was starting to get lost in his memories, a young woman came up to him.  
  
"You're missing your love, aren't you?  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What if I were to tell you that I know of way to find her"  
  
"I'd be happy and would ask how" She seemed trustworthy to John.  
  
"Well I do. I know where she's been imprisoned"  
  
  
  
"Imprisoned?" the thought of it troubled him, though he was not really surprised at her mention of it.  
  
"Just give me a letter that says what you want to say, and I will find a way to get it to her."  
  
" Okay, but I'll have to check out your background first. Meet me next week"  
  
After, checking out her background, using local files, he found out that she was clean and meet her the next week. He gave her the note, and she promised to come back as soon as possible.  
  
That had been two weeks ago. However, she came back the next day. She gave John his note and then told him.  
  
"I know for a fact that her captors let her roam around with a guard at times. I can arrange for you to meet her there. She won't be expecting you though."  
  
"Great!" John could not believe it.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, on the Andromeda, Rommie was reading some romantic stories that Jalicia had given her. However, she stopped reading and starting to daydream about her and John. They were alone, near a beautiful beach, white sand, light blue-sky, and turquoise water, they were making out. Then starting to…  
  
"Rommie!" Dylan interrupted her thoughts, as he coughed slightly, feeling a bit light headed.  
  
"Are you done with those preparations I asked for?"  
  
"Almost"  
  
"I'm getting just a little tired of that word. All you seem to do lately is daydream"  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"Just get to work." He was feeling tired and cranky.  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Remember, we have that visit to planet Ipenema in about a two days."  
  
"Aye"  
  
  
  
Two days later, Rommie was at another diplomatic party in planet Ipenema. As usual, Rev and Tyr did not go, and Dylan looked a bit better only because he had Trance give him a mild stimulant. He had started to look a bit worse each day since he started to come down with something.  
  
She was about to go talk with some ambassador, when she saw Jalicia come up to her discreetly.  
  
"Jalicia?" she was as surprised as can be.  
  
"I'll explain later. Just come with me."  
  
"Okay"  
  
So, she let Jalicia lead her to some nearby alley.  
  
Meanwhile, Dylan had seen her leave, and decided to follow.  
  
In the alley was someone she had not expected: John.  
  
"John?"  
  
"Lucretia?"  
  
"How did you?"  
  
"Jalicia told me about your imprisonment"  
  
"I can't believe it!"  
  
They hugged and were giving each other a deep kiss, when Rommie heard a familiar voice.  
  
  
  
"Let her go or I'll shoot you!" Dylan was very angry, and if he thought he could not feel more betrayed by Rommie, he had been wrong. He had lost Rommie in his line of vision, but had asked a couple of young kids if they had seen a dark haired human female and where did she go. They gave her directions.  
  
Rommie, not really thinking, found that John had a gun, and so she shot Dylan in his right arm and in the abdomen to disable him, but they she called the others on the comm.  
  
"This is Rommie, Dylan's been shot he's at a nearby alley" With that, she guiltily left with John and Jalicia, but she knew that Dylan would get the treatment he needed.  
  
Hours later, Beka, Trance and Harper were at the local hospital waiting room. It was bleak, with white walls, and wooden chairs. Just as they were getting stir crazy, the doctor, came out.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Well, I was able to treat his wounds, most of his pain if from being shot by a good friend. Also, his cold seems to have quickly gotten worse. He has a bit of a fever now."  
  
"Can we see him?" Beka was relieved to hear that Dylan's injuries weren't really that bad.  
  
"Well, he is quite upset, but I think that some company will do him good, but please do you mention the android's name, and if he brings it up, try to change the subject. It makes him worse to talk about her."  
  
"Will do." Beka felt the same way. They were lead in by the doctor to Dylan's room. He was sitting up in bed, with his blank face, staring out into space. He had the usual treatments for wounds, plus some ivys.  
  
"Dylan?" Beka was concerned.  
  
"Hey." Dylan was not in the mood for talking.  
  
"Doc says you'll be fine"  
  
"No thanks to Rommie" Harper said  
  
Beka hit him on the back of the head and gave him one of her angry stares.  
  
"He's right, you know" Dylan said. " Loyalty means nothing to her, neither does friendship. Never mind what we've been through together, never mind the vows she made as a High Guard officer…OW!" He stopped as he started to feel pain and started to cough.  
  
"Well, at least we have two possible new signatories for the charter" Beka commented, wanting to change the subject.  
  
  
  
But Dylan did not want to change the subject.  
  
"Did any of you know of this?"  
  
"No" Beka replied puzzled.  
  
" I shouldn't have let that damn friend of hers into the ship. I should have kicked her out, but I just had to be naïve enough…" he stopped to cough again.  
  
"She was there?" this was news to Beka.  
  
"Yeah." He was starting to get madder and madder. "But how could they have figured out how to meet. Oh yeah, I'm the one who allowed her to have total privacy mode."  
  
"Dylan, what's done is done. It's not your fault. Rommie made her decision."  
  
"Yes she did…." He continued to cough. "I should have left her in V-deck to rot"  
  
"You don't mean that." Beka started…  
  
"Yes I do!"  
  
Two days later, the doctor told the crew that Dylan had developed full blown Etreuf pneumonia.  
  
"What?" Beka thought that Dylan would be fit for duty by tomorrow.  
  
"The stress of what happened to him caused his cold to worsen."  
  
"Gee I wonder why?" Harper asked sarcastically.  
  
Beka gave him another look.  
  
After they had gone to safety, Rommie decided to confess all to John.  
  
"John, I have a confession to make."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"My name is not really Lucretia"  
  
"What?"  
  
" It's Rommie. I'm a High Guard Ship's avatar"  
  
"You've got to be kidding!" John had read about them and it always jarred him how Ship Ais were made to be more dependant on others for a purpose than organics or how there was a protocol to erase their memories, when deemed necessary, but none for the organic officers.  
  
"No I'm not. Please listen. I was, along with my captain, stuck in an event Horizon for three hundred years, and then rescued by some salvagers. My captain decided to reestablish the Commonwealth. I was sent to spy on the organization, but then I fell for you and started to sympathize with the organization."  
  
"Most of what you have told me has been a lie!" he exclaimed angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry if I lied to you, but I had to, I love you John" Rommie was getting desperate. "Think about it. I could have turned you in but I didn't. Also I didn't turn in any information." She tried to apply to his logic, but to no avail.  
  
"How do I not know you are still not a spy?"  
  
"There is a way" Jalicia cut in, as she came in the Room.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	16. “Look Rev, My decision is final.”

Meanwhile, Dylan was still at the hospital recovering from his pneumonia, which would not go away. Beka was in his room, with her daily visit.  
  
"So, how are ya feeling?"  
  
"I'm tired of having these damn needles in my arm" he was referring to the Ivys "and I sick of having shots every hour. Not to mention having my temperature taken like five times a day."  
  
  
  
Back in their safe place, Jalicia told of her plan.  
  
"I have a device that will allow you two to read each other's minds."  
  
"What?" they said in unison and looked at each other.  
  
"I do, but you must never tell anyone about it"  
  
"I'm up for it" John said "If Rommie is"  
  
The device consisted of some device they both had to wear as a hat. It was made from various materials their Android sensors could not figure out.  
  
After pressing some buttons, the mind reading started.  
  
John, within moments could feel Rommie's love for him, which started a while after they met. He also realized the sacrifices that she had made regarding her friends on the Andromeda.  
  
Rommie also felt John's love for her, and his intention to quit the organization for her sake and do something else for androids everywhere.  
  
When the session ended, John was ready for forgive Rommie, and so they decided to start a life together.  
  
On the Andromeda, Dylan physically recovered from his wound, but his emotional wounds were another matter entirely. He kept getting pains in the abdomen, and his arm. Any mention of the Avatar was avoided at all costs in front of him.  
  
Three years later, Dylan was working at his office, when, ship Rommie said  
  
"Dylan, there is someone here to see you"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My avatar"  
  
"What?" Dylan could not believe it, feelings of anger and betrayal started to resurface.  
  
"She's here, on a ship and wants permission to come aboard."  
  
"Why in the hell is she here?" he raised his voice slightly.  
  
"She won't say, but claims it's urgent. Do I let her come in?  
  
"Tell her to wait."  
  
"Aye."  
  
  
  
Hours Later, Holo-Rommie appeared at Dylan's office  
  
"Dylan, my avatar is still waiting"  
  
"Tell her that I'll give my answer later" Dylan did not want to talk to her.  
  
Meanwhile, Rommie was at her quarters in the small ship waiting for Dylan to talk to her. She knew that he would be reluctant to do so; she had no choice as it was necessary for her mission. However, she was willing to wait until he was ready to talk to her. Having a chance to talk to Dylan gave her mixed feelings, on one hand, she wanted to make up with him, and get his forgiveness, on the other, she dreaded asking a favor from the very man she betrayed.  
  
That night, Rev and Dylan were talking about the situation.  
  
"I don't want to help her" Dylan said. "How could I trust her, after all she's done?"  
  
"What if her cause is a valid one?" Rev answered. "It should not suffer just because she is a part of it." Rev was trying to appeal to Dylan's need to do the right thing.  
  
"She betrayed me twice, Rev." Dylan replied, trying to control his anger, that had managed to break the lock on the door of repression.  
  
Rev thought about what Dylan said. The former remembered how for three months after Rommie's second betrayal, Dylan had been sick with Etreuf pneumonia, when the day before Trance as diagnosed it as mild cold and cough. Also, he developed a understated prejudice against Androids in general. It would have been more overt, but in paradise, where he grew up, people had to be subtle about their prejudices.  
  
Hours later, after much thinking, Dylan sent a message saying that he was too busy to talk with Rommie and that they had to go soon. After reading the message sent by Dylan, Rommie sadly shook her head, and decided to go with plan C for her mission.  
  
When the crew heard of Dylan's decision not to help Rommie, they weren't surprised, but Rev did not like it. So, he decided to go see Dylan at his quarters.  
  
"Dylan? May I come in?"  
  
"Certainly"  
  
"I want to talk to you about your decision"  
  
"Yeah I know, it's better to be forgiving"  
  
"And it's important to help whenever one can"  
  
"Look Rev, My decision is final."  
  
"But Dylan.."  
  
"Rev, I need to be alone" Dylan's feelings of anger and betrayal were starting to rise up at the mention of Rommie"  
  
"I'll leave you to your thoughts"  
  
  
  
One week later, Rommie met up with John at Sppircs Drift to work on phase one of plan C. The past three years had been good to them. Their relationship flourished, and they got the chance to work together at the various missions they choose for themselves. They decided to go find this eccentric human self taught genius, whose name was Tun Amu. He lived somewhere in the poorer area of the human quarter. Using the address someone gave them, they found the place, and knocked on the door.  
  
"Who be it?" someone from inside said  
  
"We're visitors who would like your help."  
  
"Well, helloooo nurse!!" Tun exclaimed as he saw Rommie. His hair was brown, and was rather tangled. He wore a yellow shirt that was dirty and wrinkled. The same could be said for his orange pants, which were loose on his underweight body. As they came in, they saw a house that was clutter with various knickknacks, machine parts, chemicals, and tools.  
  
"We heard you are very ingenious" Rommie said, wanting to ingratiate herself.  
  
"Well, that's my middle name!" Tun said with a smile that said he was taking the bait. "What can I help you with?"  
  
"With this" John answered as he gave the man a flexi.  
  
"hmmmm" Tun remarked "This could prove to be a challenge, but I'll manage"  
  
"Good"  
  
"But I'll want something in exchange." Tun remarked as he handed them a flexi.  
  
"Okay, we can manage it"  
  
  
  
In the interim, Dylan and Tyr were preparing for a secret mission on the Maru. As they packed their stuff on the ship, they discussed some aspects of the plan.  
  
"Why this drift?"  
  
"It's the key to this mission"  
  
"Your plan is rather…odd. What if it doesn't work?"  
  
"Then we will go to plan B"  
  
Days later, back on Sppircs Drift, Rommie and John were walking along an alley, when they saw two men fighting several Kalderans, and not doing too well. So, they joined the fight. After the Kalderans were beaten, Rommie was shocked to find out who they had saved: Dylan and Tyr. 


	17. Jidian delivery and a fortune teller.

"What is this? A holo soap opera, where two or more characters, just happen to go to the same place one day despite the million to one odds?" John asked sarcastically.  
  
"So… what brings you here?" Rommie asked nervously. It was odd to see Dylan again. He wore his hair shorter than before and it was a lighter color. Tyr, for his part, looked the same.  
  
"There is so much I want to tell him" Rommie thought to herself.  
  
"We'd rather not say" Dylan said coolly. "thank you for rescuing us"  
  
"Your welcome" was all Rommie could say without breaking into tears.  
  
"Well, we gotta go now" Dylan's anger was starting to get to him.  
  
And so Tyr and Dylan left.  
  
This event had left Rommie kind of down, so John comforted her.  
  
"Maybe you should try to patch things up with him."  
  
" There's not much hope for that"  
  
"It never hurts to try"  
  
Rommie just put her head in John's shoulder.  
  
  
  
That night, at the patio near their hotel, Tyr and Dylan were eating delivery Jidian food in silence.  
  
"You're quiet." Tyr remarked.  
  
" I'm not in the mood for talking" Dylan replied.  
  
" You didn't serve much on your plate. Being part heavy gravity worlder, you need more food than that for strength"  
  
"I didn't know you cared, Tyr"  
  
"I care about you having enough strength so my survival won't be endangered."  
  
"As always, the typical Nietzschean" Dylan replied sarcastically, and getting more annoyed.  
  
" It seems that one of us is not in a good mood ever since we ran into a certain ship's avatar"  
  
"Just drop it Tyr" Dylan practically yelled, as his anger at Rommie was starting to resurface.  
  
" Are you sure you don' t want any more food?" Tyr asked as a way to change the subject.  
  
"No, I don't"  
  
  
  
Elsewhere, in the Drift, John and Rommie were doing their errand for Tun, where they saw the shop of a fortuneteller, who called herself, Mysterious Marilynn. The front had a green neon sign that said, "Get your fortunes told, 20 thrones".  
  
"Why don't we go in?" John suggested. "Just for the fun of it. We deserve a break."  
  
"Okay" Rommie decided to humor John.  
  
"Welcome" a woman said.  
  
"Thanks" John replied as he put down 20 thrones. The room was dark except for scented candles scattered about the small room with purple carpet. Mysterious Marilynn was a human female with black hair and green eyes. She wore a long orange skirt, and a yellow blouse. Also, her earrings were long and made from Kikian gold, which tended to be on the greenish –bluish side.  
  
" You" she directed her comment to Rommie. " I sense anger and lack of forgiveness from someone who was close to you"  
  
"She's good" John remarked.  
  
"The bridge to his friendship might not be repairable."  
  
Seeing Rommie's sadness, John asked "Hey, how about some happy fortunes"  
  
"You two will have a very long, happy life together, despite some bumps along the way."  
  
"Will we succeed in our mission?" John just had to know.  
  
"Yes, but it will require you to cross a river despite the lack of an important bridge."  
  
"You mean that we have to have help?" John asked sourly.  
  
"Yes. From Captain Dylan Hunt. The problem is that he makes a connection between your love and his first officer"  
  
They were both surprised, though Rommie was sad to hear that she was put in the same place as Rhade in Dylan's mind.  
  
  
  
"How do you know these things?" John was curious.  
  
"The Devine writes the script, I just recite the lines"  
  
"Well, we have to go now. Thank you for everything."  
  
Sensing Rommie sadness, John took her dancing and then they went into their hotel room. Once there, they found a note from Tun that said that he had to leave for reasons he could not explain.  
  
" What are we to do?" John asked, "He probably didn't finish what we asked for."  
  
"I don't know"  
  
"Guess Mysterious Marilynn was right"  
  
"Good for her" Rommie said sarcastically.  
  
"I've got a great idea, as to getting Dylan to help us! I can disguise myself, and then ask for his help. I mean, he never knew what you wanted him to help us with, and he does like to help.  
  
"You?? disguising yourself??"  
  
"Well, he knows you too well and so you would be recognizable to him. I could just go to a good engineer for some cosmetic surgery."  
  
"I don't want to deceive Dylan again" Rommie said simply. "There has to be another way"  
  
"Well, we could have a friend of ours be the ones to ask him. That's not as deceitful. Or better yet, ask for his help anonymously, that's even less deceitful"  
  
"Maybe, but Dylan might get suspicious of it. However, it's our best bet."  
  
  
  
Two weeks after the Tyr and Dylan returned from their mission, Dylan got a private anonymous message asking for his help.  
  
Later that day, Dylan told the others about the anonymous message.  
  
"Whom could it be from?" Beka was curious.  
  
"Maybe it's a trap" Tyr suggested.  
  
"What's the reason for keeping it anonymous?" Beka agreed with Tyr that it was kind of suspicious that it would be sent anonymously.  
  
"For the 'best interests of the mission' " Dylan answered.  
  
"Where was it sent from?"  
  
" Luna Drift"  
  
"So, are we going to help?"  
  
"I'm thinking about it" Dylan replied.  
  
The next day, Dylan came to the command deck to announce his decision. 


	18. "Mysterious Marilynn has her reasons"

"We're going to help" he said.  
  
"Are you sure that is wise?" Tyr asked  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, two days earlier, back on Sppirsc drift, John, for the fun of it, when to visit Mysterious Marilynn, while Rommie went out shopping with some new friends.  
  
"Hello John" she said.  
  
"So, do think he'll help"  
  
"For the moment" she replied.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"you are not ready to know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. Don't feign hard of hearing, it won't work. You're an android, Remember?"  
  
"Yeah. I admit it. Why won't you tell me?"  
  
"Mysterious Marilynn has her reasons."  
  
Back on the Andromeda, Beka was piloting to an area near the planet Edaj, when Dylan told her to go elsewhere.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I found out that the message is from Rommie"  
  
"How?"  
  
"It doesn't matter how" Dylan was annoyed.  
  
" Go to where we were planning to go now at next month. Tell them that we are coming early "  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes I am. I'm not going to give my trust to her"  
  
"But the cause is important"  
  
" She can find someone else to help" Dylan said, wanting to drop the subject.  
  
"Dylan…."  
  
"Let's just go, okay?"  
  
"Fine"  
  
  
  
Days later, Rommie and John found out, through their sources that Dylan was not going to help them.  
  
  
  
However, John had a plan that would help them both in more ways than one. However, what he needed was a good plan.  
  
  
  
The next day, he went do make some calls and inquiries.  
  
  
  
A month later, most of the crew were at their location in one of the state reception rooms, when a young man, told Dylan to meet some important government official in a private room.  
  
In the mean time, someone was telling Rommie that she had to, with the help of an aid, sneak into this chamber for the sake of trying to talk to this politician, who was willing to talk with her regarding A. I. issues.  
  
Just as Dylan was getting impatient with all the waiting in the room, he saw Rommie come in through the door. Both gave each other shocked looks, as it was locked behind them..  
  
"What in the hell are you doing here?" he was furious. "So, you got you found yet another ruse to try to scam me into helping you"  
  
"Dylan, I didn't …"the guilt and anger were starting to come back for Rommie.  
  
"Stop with your lies. I'm tired of hearing them"  
  
"I am telling the truth this time"  
  
" yeah.. right"  
  
"Look Dylan," Rommie said, with anger and hurt " That's the truth, and if you don't believe it, then frankly, I don't give a damn. I'm getting out of here"  
  
"You do that"  
  
However, Rommie found that she could not open the door, even with her android capabilities.  
  
"Looks like we're stuck."  
  
"There's no way to get out?" Dylan was not liking this prospect.  
  
"Not unless you have a tessaracting device handy"  
  
Dylan then tried to call the others.  
  
"This is Dylan, can anybody read me? Hello? Damnit! Somebody answer!!"  
  
"There is no reason for you comm. Not to work, I sense no problems with it." Rommie remarked.  
  
Both stood silent, and thus the sounds of silence could be heard for about an hour, when Rommie asked.  
  
"So, you compare me to Rhade?"  
  
"What makes you say that?" Dylan tried to hide his surprise. "Not that it's any of your business."  
  
  
  
"I have my sources"  
  
  
  
Silence ensued again. Dylan did not want to talk to Rommie, and every minute with her, was agony of the side of him that forced him to repressed his emotions.  
  
"Stop that!"  
  
"What?  
  
"Humming that song"  
  
"oh. I'll try"  
  
Dylan started to pace around and stare at the wall. He needed to be in control of his emotions.  
  
Rommie, for her part, tried to have a poker face.  
  
  
  
John, for his part, was worried on how, his plan was turning out. Jalicia had been kind enough to help him find people, who were willing to play parts in the Ruse. John had been surprised when Jalicia had told her that Dylan's com, which was an implant could be rendered ineffective. John had wanted to know how, but she had refused to tell him. The main reason he did this was for Rommie, not the mission. He knew how much Dylan's friendship had meant to her, and decided to take the chance to enable a reconciliation, when Jalicia offered her help and the perfect opportunity.  
  
  
  
Beka, was at some dignitary garden party, worrying about Dylan.  
  
"Where is he? I can't get him on his comm."  
  
"You can't get him on his com? Harper was surprised "How can that be?"  
  
"Who knows. Come on, let's excuse ourselves, and find him."  
  
" 'kay boss."  
  
  
  
Dylan and Rommie were still in silence two hours later, when Dylan again interrupted Rommie's thoughts  
  
"Stop humming. That's the sixth time, I've had to ask you"  
  
Rommie just rolled her eyes.  
  
  
  
"So, you're stil with Orich. Was he worth it? In fact, what made him worth it? Being a good lay? I guess most things are more important to you than loyalty, especially lust"  
  
"Why don't you just Piss off!" Rommie had become more human over the last few years and had started to curse once in a while.  
  
"I beg your pardon"  
  
"You heard me"  
  
"How dare you say that to me?!"  
  
"With my mouth"  
  
"I will not have anyone speak to me that way, especially you!" As he said this, he was looking at her with his stern face, and looking her hard in the eye.  
  
"I just did" Rommie's anger was starting to overwhelm her hurt and guilt. "and don't think that look, as it will not scare me. Why don't we stop fighting and find a way out?"  
  
"I have been thinking of ways out of this room."  
  
"Maybe we should put our heads together. The sooner we get out, the sooner we are out of each other's hairs."  
  
"Okay" Dylan had been trying to figure out how to get out of the room by himself, so he wouldn't have to talk to Rommie, without much success.  
  
  
  
In the outside, Beka, Harper, and Trance, got the help of the local authorities to help them find Dylan.  
  
"What could have happened?" Beka asked  
  
No one, except the so-called messenger, had seen Dylan go to that room, and so, only those involved with the Ruse were aware of his whereabouts, and they would not tell.  
  
Back at the Room, Rommie and Dylan were trying to figure out ways to get out. The Room had no windows and the only air vent was too small for either of them. It had terra cotta colored tiled.  
  
"Maybe there a week spot under the tiling" Dylan suggested.  
  
"I detect one, near the table"  
  
Rommie, with her strength, took out some tiles, but found that the week spot, was not good enough to be of any use to them.  
  
As Rommie was trying to fix the mess she created, Dylan simply stated,  
  
"I have another plan"  
  
  
  
TBC 


	19. “ In life, you often get what you need, ...

Meanwhile, John was remembering his talk with Mysterious Marylyn, which he had ja mere two hours before he left. She had been wearing her usual blue dress, and the "mysterious" in "Mysterious Marylyn", started to rear its head.  
  
"So, do you think that they'll start to understand each other, if locked into a room?"  
  
"Understanding is a three edged sword"  
  
"That's a lot of help" John said "Will being forced to talk make them reconcile?"  
  
  
  
"A stroke of the brush does not guarantee art from the bristles." She answered  
  
"So you're saying that just because they would be in the room together, that doesn't guarantee squat?"  
  
"If you say so"  
  
"Why no straight answers like before?"  
  
" In life, you often get what you need, not what you desire."  
  
  
  
Back at the room, Dylan had never told Rommie his plan because he realized right away that it would not work.  
  
"Do you regret what you did?" Dylan could not help but ask this.  
  
"I regret that I had to do it"  
  
"hmmm" he didn't like that answer. "I hate it when you use the phrase "had to do it"  
  
"but it's the truth." She stated simply "Do you regret kidnapping me?"  
  
"I wanted to protect you from possible violent developments, and I wanted to give you another chance, but I guess I should not have bothered" Dylan's feelings were starting to resurface.  
  
"Dylan, I didn't want to hurt you. I only shot you because you had the chance to shoot Orich I did call for help after I shot you"  
  
"That's not the point! It doesn't matter that you called for help. You betrayed, me Rommie." His voice was starting to increase  
  
She did not know what to say to that.  
  
Someone opening the door broke the silence.  
  
"Dylan!" Beka exclaimed, "There you are? What is Rommie doing here…  
  
"It doesn't matter, let's go" he replied as he left with Beka and Harper.  
  
Rommie just stood there, thinking and regretting that they could not reconcile.  
  
Later, on, John comforted Rommie, as she cried. Soon, they moved to some planet called Obkam.  
  
26 years passed, and Rommie and John had a happy life, except for an accident that required Rommie to have a new voice put into her system, but was more beautiful than her original one, and she changed her name to Ann, given because she and John had done some illegal things in their missions. Also, 14 years after they got to the planet, Jalicia and her son, Gandalf, who was born a year after Rommie's last meeting with Dylan, came to Obkam to live next door. However, that happiness was temporary.  
  
Rommie, and Jalicia were gossiping, when they heard the door.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"It's me, Officer Lagrimas" Rommie had a bad feeling about this.  
  
"It's about John, your partner. He was attacked by several anti-Android people, with powerful weapons." There had been an anti-Android movement starting up, but the violence had been minor.  
  
"What?" Rommie was in shock "No! No!" Jalicia sat her down, and all Rommie could do was stare.  
  
"We'll need you to identify the body."  
  
"My son will do it later."  
  
"Fine. I'm sorry about your loss"  
  
"He can't be dead! Mysterious Marilynn said that we would have a long happy life together!"  
  
"Long is a relative term" Jalicia replied, as she comforted her.  
  
Days later, a funeral was held. Many of the friends both of them had made over the years. Rommie was still numb and she was at the service only in Body.  
  
Two months had passed, and as usual, Rommie was just watching mindless vids on the monitor, when Jalicia came in.  
  
"Hey, How ya doing?"  
  
"Alright"  
  
"Why don't you go shopping with me?"  
  
"I can't. I have housecleaning to do?"  
  
"Well, this place could use it." Jalicia could not help but notice the mess there was. "Rommie, John would not have wanted you to go on like this."  
  
"Look, I'm not ready to go on!"  
  
"Okay, I'll give you some space." So, Jalicia left.  
  
One year two weeks, after John's death, Rommie had decided to take a walk, despite the fact that it was raining. As she was walking along, she saw a blind young man of about 19, with a cane and a seeing guide bot, who lead him about. He had blue eyes, and brown hair. Also, he seemed to have the double chin look and wore a big hat, as well as a brown heavy raincoat.  
  
"Excuse me" he said, "But do you know where the Lillian hotel is?"  
  
"Actually, it burnt down a few years ago"  
  
"oh" he seemed disappointed, as the rain started pouring down.  
  
"Why don't you stay with me?" Rommie said impulsively. There seemed to be some sort of vulnerability and trustworthiness to the young man.  
  
"Sure" the young man had a good feeling about Rommie.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"It's uh….Michael Kelly" Rommie sense that this was not his real name, but she let it go.  
  
As they went along, Rommie asked him a few more questions.  
  
"What brings you here?"  
  
"I wanted to live on my own for a while. My dad didn't want me to go, but he indulged me."  
  
"What about your mother?"  
  
"She left my dad a year after I was born"  
  
"That's terrible"  
  
"What does your father do?"  
  
"He.. uh…did various things"  
  
"oh?"  
  
"yeah.. various things"  
  
"Okay. Here we are. Take off your coat so you can sleep on the couch."  
  
"Thanks"  
  
"So, tell me about yourself. What are you interests?"  
  
"Literature, philosophy, and music of any kind"  
  
"Well, I do have some recordings if you'd like to borrow them"  
  
"Thank you. My goal is to become a writer, but I thought I should come here for a while, as there is a good writing community here"  
  
"There is"  
  
"I hope to be able to be one of the founders of the Literary Renaissance. Do you know where the writing community is?"  
  
Rommie could not help but notice that the young man reminded her of someone.  
  
"Ma'm?"  
  
"oh yes I do"  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Ann"  
  
"Why don't we hit the dance club? You seem homesick"  
  
"I am"  
  
And so they went.  
  
"What kind of music is this?"  
  
"It's called Orem Techno-Trance"  
  
"I love it!" Michael was having a great time, with Rommie, whom he found sweet.  
  
As the evening went on, Rommie could not remember the last time she had fun.  
  
The next day, Gandalf and Jalicia went to see them.  
  
"Who's this?" Gandalf asked, surprised. He was a water engineer for the local city. He had his mother's brown eyes, but had black hair.  
  
"A young writer' Rommie answered "and his seeing eye bot.  
  
The Seeing Eye bot was in a corner, as Michael tended to rely on his cane and memory to navigate himself in Rommie's house.  
  
"Would you guys like anything? The young man asked.  
  
"No we're fine" Jalicia replied.  
  
"Rommie, do you want anything? Like for me to do some chores later?  
  
"No"  
  
Later, Gandalf, discussed his worries to Jalicia.  
  
"Mom, do you think that it's safe for Rommie to have a stranger just come in?"  
  
"He seems trustworthy, besides, how much could a young blind kid do to an Android?"  
  
"Still.. he might have a gun or something"  
  
"Don't worry, son."  
  
" He seemed eager to please."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Too eager to please"  
  
"Now now"  
  
The next day, Michael tried to find an apartment, but didn't find anything he liked. As the week went by, the level of his effort decreased exponentially. He liked staying with Rommie.  
  
  
  
Another year passed, and they were still living together as friends. Michael had managed to publish some short stories, and was busily working on his novel. Already mature for his age, the year, just made him more mature.  
  
One day, Rommie was alone watching some vids, as Michael was with some writing companions when someone knocked on the door.  
  
It was Dylan. His face was one of blank fury.  
  
  
  
"Dylan?" Rommie exclaimed in surprised. Dylan was the last person she expected to see. Aside from an increase in wrinkles, a good amount of gray hair, and a goatee, Dylan looked like the same man she had served under all those years ago.  
  
"It isn't enough that you betrayed me, but you must also seduce my son!" his face was red, and his eyes were dark.  
  
"I didn't seduce him! We're just friends. I was not aware that he was your son" Rommie was getting angry at these accusations.  
  
"That's not what I've heard from some acquaintances"  
  
"In other words, you had people spy on your own son."  
  
" I had heard rumors that he had gone to live with an older woman, and they were lovers."  
  
"He lives with me, but we are just friends."  
  
"Look, I don't want him living with you!"  
  
"That's not for you to decide."  
  
"Either you get him to stop living with you or I will see to it that he finds out about what you did to me. Something tells me that he might take it personally. I'll give you four days" With that he left.  
  
Rommie, on her part, could do nothing but think and fret for the moment.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	20. “I was just in the neighborhood.”

The next day, Dylan surprised Michael, by joining him at the table in a park. Mike was wearing a light green shirt and dark pants, and his seeing eye bot was seated right next to him.  
  
"May I join you?"  
  
"Dad??" Michael looked at his father in surprise, as he hugged him.  
  
"That's me!"  
  
"Great to see ya, what brings you here?"  
  
"I was just in the neighborhood."  
  
"How are things going?"  
  
"Fine"  
  
"You look like you've put on some meat." Dylan couldn't believe how chubby he looked.  
  
"I get well feed" Rommie always made sure that Michael had enough to eat, as he tended to forget everything else when he wrote.  
  
"So, where are you staying?"  
  
"At a nearby hotel. I figured that your place would be too small"  
  
"and messy." Michael had been nervous about the prospect of his father wanting to see where he lived.  
  
  
  
"So, make any new friends, David?"  
  
"A few"  
  
"Any of them especially close to you?" Dylan wanted to see if Michael would reveal that he was living with Rommie.  
  
"Yeah, her name is Ann"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"We're just friends"  
  
"Really? Do you ever desire more?" Dylan did not believe that they were just friends.  
  
"No"  
  
"I've noticed that in some of the short stories you've published, there is always a dark eyed, dark haired woman, who is kind, and smart"  
  
"That's just coincidence" Michael had noticed this a while ago, but had dismissed this coincidence out of hand.  
  
"Oh I see." Dylan did not want Michael to know that he had suspicions.  
  
"How long are you staying, dad?  
  
"Four or five days." Dylan could not help but notice how happy Michael looked, from the moment he first saw him. "So, how's the novel coming?"  
  
"Okay, sometimes it's slow, other times it's productive"  
  
"Well, you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasures of life"  
  
"yeah. How are things going for you?"  
  
"Good, good, things are good. I have this diplomatic mission to do for the Commonwealth, that is quite delicate."  
  
"Best of luck dad! Would you like a tour of this city?"  
  
"Okay"  
  
Meanwhile, Rommie, and Jalicia, were talking about what had happened.  
  
"What are you going to do"  
  
"Tell him. It's better that I tell him what I did, but I don't want to lose his friendship." Rommie was not looking forward to tonight.  
  
"I'm sure that it will work out for the best"  
  
"I hope I can get him to understand what I did, but I doubt it." Rommie remembered how she could not get Dylan to understand, and she had known him a lot longer.  
  
Hours later, Michael came home.  
  
"Hey Ann, what's up?" Michael was happy, as he got to see his father.  
  
"Not much. Michael, I need to talk to you about something.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
" Sit down"  
  
"I have a confession to make."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"My real name is not Ann, It's Rommie"  
  
"Rommie??? You mean the Andromeda's avatar, who for the man she loved, lied to my dad, and left the crew?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Yeah, my uncle Harper told me when I was like 10. "  
  
"oh?"  
  
"I was kinda mad at first, but then I, as a teen, realized that the avatar, who happens to be you, did not mean to hurt my father." Michael was then and now willing to give Rommie the benefit of the doubt.  
  
"I see." Rommie was so thankful and relieved that she was on the verge of having tears of joy.  
  
"but you don't sound like the hologram or ship?"  
  
"I had to change my voice."  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before"  
  
"It's okay"  
  
"Sorry I didn't tell you about my dad nor about my real name, which is David. I was tired of being known as the famous Dylan Hunt's son."  
  
" Don't worry, I understand. So, who was your mother?" Rommie was curious if by some odd chance Dylan had married Beka.  
  
"Well, from what my uncle Harper has told me, my mom was a wild, young 'hot babe', who was eccentric, wild, sort of domineering, mysterious, and about 15 years my dad's junior. My aunts Beka and Trance did not like her, neither did my uncle Harper despite some initial attraction on his part. She supposedly had a kind of wisdom to her. They had me within two years of dating and living together. My dad really wanted to marry her but she kept saying that she needed more time, and my dad indulged her. Eventually, she left us, with nothing but a short note to my dad. According to my uncle, my dad shut himself in his office, for a while afterwards, and did not want to hear about things that needed to be done."  
  
"That's terrible. You father is a good man." Rommie commented. She was sad that Dylan could not find happiness with someone, just as she had. "how long were they together?"  
  
" In all? Three and a half years. Actually, my hope is to someday meet my mother."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yeah. I want to look her in the eye and ask her 'why did you leave us?' and I want to know about her side of the family. But there is no information, and my dad, who would know the most, doesn't like to talk about her. "  
  
"So, tell me about your uncle Harper, and Aunts Beka and Trance"  
  
"Well, for the four years after you left, they, still recruited worlds, until the fifty worlds had been signed, and they just went on Missions for another few more years. After I was born, the new Commonwealth made my dad an ambassador, and a part time professor at the new High Guard Academy: It was arranged, so, I could come with him on his various missions. As for Harper, he started to work with ship designers at the new High Guard Head Quarters, while Beka who married Tyr, became one of the heads of the new Department of Commerce. Tyr, for his part, became a teacher in self-defense and weaponry. Trance got into the diplomacy business, by being a consul at a non-member world. Speaking of my dad, I saw him today  
  
"Oh?" Rommie tried to act nonchalant.  
  
"Yeah. Said he was just in the neighborhood. I'm gonna go meet him at some restaurant later. I'd ask you to join us, but you know….."  
  
"Yes I do"  
  
"How should I tell him that I live with you? I think that he's still pretty mad, as you were never mentioned in his presence"  
  
As he was saying this, Rommie was debating within herself whether or not to tell Michael that Dylan had threatened her and that he knew about their living arrangement. However, Michael solved this for her.  
  
"I'm going to tell him." He said.  
  
"Oh?" Rommie hoped that Dylan would not make Michael choose between her and him.  
  
"Yeah, and he's gonna accept it"  
  
"Really?" Rommie admired his need to be honest.  
  
"Yeah. He won't take to it well, at first, but I'm sure he'll get used to the idea."  
  
"I hope so. I don't want you to have to choose between our friendship and your relationship with your father"  
  
  
  
At dinner, Michael made his confession.  
  
"Dad, I'm living with Rommie."  
  
"What??" Dylan said to feign surprise.  
  
"Yeah, she told me today. However, I bear her no ill will."  
  
Dylan just looked at him.  
  
"She didn't want to hurt you. Rommie just did what she had to do."  
  
"Are you aware of what she did to me?" Dylan was getting angry, but he tried to hide it.  
  
"Yeah, Uncle Harper told me one day."  
  
Dylan made a mental note to talk to Mr. Harper.  
  
"Look, dad, Rommie was a good person stuck with a tough choice. I know what she did was wrong, but she is truly sorry. I will keep on living with her, as her good friend, whether you like it or not."  
  
Dylan did not know what to say, but he took a long sip of his wine and took a deep breath.  
  
"So you are telling me that you are going to be friends with someone who betrayed me?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, but she didn't' want to and is sorry"  
  
"How can you choose her over me?"  
  
"I'm not!" David was starting to get angry at his father's accusations.  
  
"By being her friend you are insulting me, and it seems that you don't give a damn about what I went through"  
  
"I do dad! And I'm not insulting you"  
  
"Then prove it! Move out, and stop being her friend"  
  
"I don't have to prove squat to you!" David hated it when his dad put pressure on him like this, and did the whole stupid 'prove it by doing what I want you to do routine,'  
  
Then he answered, "If you don't know what I feel by now then frankly you can kiss my kludge ass!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Dylan's anger was rising.  
  
Suddenly there was a page.  
  
"Calling Mr. Michael Kelly. Someone is waiting for you at the outside waiting area."  
  
"Oh, that would be me" David excused himself, and went to answer the page, with the help of his cane.  
  
Dylan poured himself some more wine, as David left for his destination.  
  
Once he got there, he saw one of his many writing friends.  
  
"You rang?" David said.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to let you know that there was this odd, older guy asking around about you"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"I saw him talking to one of the local bartenders, who told him that you and Ann were lovers, and that you were living together."  
  
"How did he look like?"  
  
"he wore sunglasses and had green hair. Also, I saw him paying this guy, who works in that café we writers like to frequent."  
  
David knew who his friend had seen, and was not pleased.  
  
"I think I know who it is. Thanks for the information. I'll take care of it from here. I'll explain later"  
  
"Okay. Bye"  
  
"Bye"  
  
  
  
When David returned to the table, he was fuming.  
  
"Dad, the person who paged me was a friend of mine. He says that you asked around about me, and paid someone for info."  
  
"You have been rather sheltered all of your life, and I wanted to make sure that you were safe. Also, I heard about your living arrangements and was concerned about whom you were living with. For all I knew, it could have been some crazy woman. I'm just a concerned parent."  
  
"But most parents don't send spy on their kids or pay people to give information on them. Why can't you respect my privacy?"  
  
Dylan did not know what to say.  
  
"You owe me an apology dad"  
  
"I owe you an apology? How about the one you owe me for deciding to live with someone who betrayed and lied to me?"  
  
"That does it! I'm leaving!"  
  
On that note, David left the restaurant.  
  
  
  
TBC 


	21. "As she was reading, David noticed a sli...

From the restaurant, David went back home. As she heard the door slam Rommie commented, with some dread.  
  
"I take it that it didn't go to well?"  
  
"No. I just found out, thanks to a friend that my dad asked around about me and paid people to give him information regarding how I was doing. How could he violate my privacy like that?" As he was saying this, he sat on the couch next to Rommie.  
  
"What your father did was not right, but his heart was in the right place" Rommie was surprised that Dylan got caught, but she supposed that he was just unlucky.  
  
  
  
"He wouldn't have done this If I was not blind"  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
" Well, I've noticed that he's a bit more overprotective than other dads with seeing kids"  
  
"What gave you that idea?"  
  
"Well, I was fifteen before he let me wander around in public areas alone, even with my seeing eye bot, which my Uncle Harper built and refurbished as I got older."  
  
"I see."  
  
" He also tended to fuss over me a lot, especially when I was younger. At one point, I had this terminal illness called Luhum syndrome, which somehow got cured, and to this day, I can still remember my dad with circles around his eyes, coming to see me at least five times a day. Afterwards, he would nag me always to eat more, as I was a picky eater. Then, he worried that I was too pale, and made me do exercises, which I hated."  
  
As they continued talking, they each noticed that their hands were touching in a slight way. Rommie, upon noticing this got up and said  
  
"Well, I think I should go for my daily walk. Would you like to join me?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
And so they went on their walk.  
  
Two days later, Dylan went to find David, and there he was, at his usual spot next to the park, his seeing eye bot sitting next to him, awaiting instructions.  
  
"David" The young man was too absorbed in his writing.  
  
Dylan just tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
  
  
"David, I'm sorry about what I did. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. My only crime was being overprotective" Dylan felt guilty about the methods he used to see how David was doing.  
  
"I know dad, but please, let me handle things on my own. I can take care of myself."  
  
"I can't help but worry" Dylan remarked. "I promise not to do ask around about you again"  
  
"Okay"  
  
"Truce?"  
  
"Truce" David answered, glad to have made up with his father "What about the stuff you said at the restaurant"  
  
"I didn't mean them, I was just upset. I'm sorry for what I said." Dylan hated when they fought.  
  
"So am I, but I'm still living with Rommie."  
  
After some silence Dylan said, " Fine, just don't expect me to go to your place, nor to submit myself to your attempts to get us to patch up." He hated the idea of David's friendship with Rommie, but his desire to keep a relationship with his son outweighed this.  
  
  
  
"Okay"  
  
"Why don't we have some lunch?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
The next day, Dylan left for the new commonwealth capital.  
  
One day, a week later, David was working on his novel in the living room, when Rommie brought him some food to the nightstand, next to the couch.  
  
"David? You need to eat" She said "and that's an order!" she added in a mock military tone.  
  
"Aye ma'am" he replied as he ate, and wrote at the same time.  
  
As he did that, Rommie sat next to him, and read all that he had written that day. The story was very good, with character depth, and plot. As she was reading, David noticed a slight touch of her hand on his shoulder, but he tried to ignore it.  
  
Meanwhile, Jalicia was reading a novel, when suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She could not believe who it was.  
  
"Blessed be? Is this who I think it is?"  
  
"Is that the way to say hello to an old friend?"  
  
"I was just surprised. What brings you here"  
  
"Aren't you going to invite me in and offer me something?"  
  
"Certainly. Come in."  
  
  
  
Hours later, David and Rommie were sitting at a nearby café, talking while David was having some coffee. As they were talking, they again noticed that they were touching each other's hands. However, they each found that they did not mind this. Then, Gandalf interrupted their conversation.  
  
"hey guys what's up?" he felt a pang of jealousy.  
  
Both of them quickly took their hands off the table.  
  
"Hey!" David replied nervously, hoping that Gandalf didn't get any ideas. "How goes all?"  
  
"Work is good. I've been kept busy with this reservoir project. The local government wants it covered to keep the water clean, but the local residents are objecting because they love the view of the reservoir, which almost looks like a nice lake"  
  
"Any solutions yet?"  
  
" No. There are going to be several meetings I'm going to have to go to. So, what have you guys been up to?"  
  
"Talking and…" Rommie started  
  
"Drinking coffee" David said, finishing her sentence. "What about you?"  
  
"Not much. I'm going to the Dance club soon. You guys wanna join me?"  
  
"Sure!" David replied. He loved to dance, as a way of relaxing"  
  
"Let's say we meet in 3 hours?"  
  
"Okay"  
  
Later, on they were on the dance floor, when David decided to learn a knew dance step and Rommie volunteered to teach him one.  
  
"Just lightly feel my shoulders, so you can know how to move them." She instructed and David did so as he got the hang of the shoulder part.  
  
"Now I need to teach you how to do the hip part. Just lightly hold my hips" this was no problem for Rommie, as David often did this when they danced together.  
  
David noticed that as he did this, it felt different from other times, it felt more awkward, more sensual.  
  
"Why don't we try another dance move?" he asked suddenly  
  
"What's wrong with this one?" Rommie asked, although she was relieved, as it starting to feel different to her too.  
  
"I'm just in the mood for something new?"  
  
Meanwhile, Jalicia's guest left, although she promised to return.  
  
Back on the New Commonwealth capital, Harper, was reading a letter from David, which had been lost for bit, but finally got to it's destination. He was reading the flexi, on the couch, while his wife was grading papers on the love seat.  
  
"What's in the letter, honey?" Jane, Harper's wife, asked as she saw the surprised look on his face. She was a red headed human scientist, who taught at the local university. They met 12 years ago, during a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend.  
  
"It's from David. He just found out that he's living with Rommie! And he's still going to live with her?"  
  
"Don't tell me you still haven't' forgiven her."  
  
"I kind of have, but not enough to want to be her friend, or live with her, like David is doing. How could he live with her knowing what she did to Dylan? I'm still pissed at the Nietzscheans who killed my parents. Sure David says that he forgave Rommie a while before meeting her, it still doesn't make sense."  
  
"David has a heart of gold"  
  
"Too much. Even Dylan, the usually forgiving guy won't quite forgive Rommie."  
  
"So I take it that he knows?"  
  
"Yeah, but according to the letter, Dylan was willing to tolerate it"  
  
"He really loves his son"  
  
"And I love our sons Jake and Malachi, but I would not be as patient sad to say."  
  
"Dylan must really have a lot of patience"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
Two Days later, Beka received her letter from David at her house. She looked a bit grayer, and her skin had more wrinkles, but she was still the same Beka, everyone always knew.  
  
"Tyr, come here!"  
  
"What is it?" Tyr, given his genetics, looked the same as he had 20 years before. They had two children, Kisha, who was fourteen, and Julius, who was nine.  
  
"David's roommate is Rommie!" Beka exclaimed "and it doesn't matter to him"  
  
"Odd. That boy is close to his father. Does Dylan know?"  
  
"Yes, and he says that Dylan is willing to tolerate it"  
  
" I don't know how I'd feel if one of our children decided to move in with someone who shot and betrayed me"  
  
"Did it ever occur to you that Dylan might have a plan?"  
  
"A plan?"  
  
"Yes. He gave the impression of tolerance so as not to jeopardize his relationship with his only son."  
  
"So you are saying that Dylan is pretending to being okay with this, because he has some plan to change the living arrangement?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well, at least they are not lovers. Now that would be a double irony."  
  
"What's to say they're not? How else could he forgive what that avatar did to his father?"  
  
"I don't think that they are lovers, because David would have said something during the time he thought Rommie was "Ann".  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, true to Tyr's predictions, Dylan was trying to come up with a plan. 


	22. “Doctors, they have the arrogance to thi...

Back on the home front, Rommie and David were again at the dance club. Somehow, they found themselves dancing close to each other, when Gandalf cut in.  
  
"May I be your dancing partner, Rommie?"  
  
"Sure"  
  
After a while, Gandalf left, as he had early morning errands to do, and so the two friends were dancing again. Soon, their bodies were a mere 5 centimeters from each other, and they were holding each other close, until, David excused himself and went to go get a drink.  
  
They danced some more, and again were very physically close to each other. This time, neither wanted to decrease the proximity and as they danced. When the music stopped, they snapped out of this. Neither knew what to say about what happened.  
  
  
  
A month later, David got an offer, from the new Commonwealth News Service for a reporting job, which Rommie read to him.  
  
"This sounds like a good opportunity" Rommie commented" "But….."  
  
"My true passion is writing short stories and novels" David said, finishing her sentence.  
  
"Besides, I like the people here"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Like my friends and stuff"  
  
"Why don't we go celebrate your receiving this offer by….?"  
  
"going to the Dance club?"  
  
  
  
Again, Rommie and David went to the dance club for some fun, but as they were dancing, Rommie found herself putting her face closer and closer to David's.  
  
"I sense someone's face. Who could it be?" David, glibed, trying to hide his nervousness.  
  
"It is I, your grandmother" she answered sarcastically  
  
"ha ha. My grandma would not smell as sweet as you do"  
  
"I bet you say that to all the girls." Rommie answered coyly  
  
"Just ones who are as special as you", their faces were within kissing range.  
  
" I think you're special too" their foreheads were leaning on each other, as they started to kiss.  
  
In the meantime, Gandalf was going to join them, when he saw them kissing. This spoiled his mood, and he decided to visit his mother.  
  
"Hey mom" he said as he came in.  
  
"Hey. I thought you were going to the Dance Club" she could sense his foul mood.  
  
"No, I changed my mind"  
  
"Were Rommie and David there?"  
  
"Yeah" he said in a tone that attempted neutrality, but failed.  
  
"and..?"  
  
"They were kissing" Gandalf said harshly.  
  
"I see" she was not surprised.  
  
"You don't sound surprised"  
  
"I've been seeing the signs for a while now."  
  
" I didn't really see anything that pinpointed their mutual attraction until tonight"  
  
"People only see what they want to see." Jalicia knew that Gandalf had a long time crush on Rommie, which he managed to hide from everyone but her, and that he did not want to admit it to himself.  
  
"David's nice, but he's too young for her"  
  
"Sometimes, age is irrelevant" Jalicia replied.  
  
"but still.. anyway….have I told you about what happened with the reservoir project?" Gandalf decided to change the subject.  
  
"No what happened?"  
  
"The residents won. Hopefully, this won't set a precedent for other cases"  
  
"The avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote" Jalicia replied.  
  
  
  
Back at the Club, they stopped their kiss, decided to go home. Once there, they kissed again, and, decided to spend the night together.  
  
  
  
A few days later, back on the Commonwealth capital, Dylan read David's latest letter, in his office. and thought to himself. "So much for that plan".  
  
  
  
Time passed and Life was going great for David, he was in a great relationship, with a great person, his short stories were selling well, and getting great reviews, and soon, he would be publishing his novel.  
  
"Guess what Rommie!" David said, as he came home, " Another short story of mine got published."  
  
"That's wonderful" she replied, kissing him.  
  
"It's the one where the main character is based on you" he said shyly  
  
"I'm honored to be your muse" she said beaming "By the way, does your father know about us?"  
  
"No. It was hard enough for him to accept my living with you, as a friend."  
  
"I see" she replied "When do you plan to tell him?"  
  
" I don't know"  
  
  
  
Dylan, for his part, was sitting in his study, when he starting to remember or relive the first time he met David's mother.  
  
He and Tyr had been on a secret mission, which Dylan could not really recall, and somehow they had split up. Soon, Dylan found himself among several Kalderans who wanted to kill him. Just as he was feeling ready to go down fighting, a woman suddenly appeared, helping him by fighting them with her wooden quarter staff. After thanking her, he asked  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Call me Arwen"  
  
"That's a pretty name."  
  
"It is the name of my grandmother"  
  
"I see, is there anything I could do for you?"  
  
"I ask nothing of you"  
  
"Do you need to go anywhere? I could give you a ride" Dylan really had wanted to help her somehow, and he found her attractive, with black wavy hair, and eyes of the same color.  
  
"Well, I suppose I could stay in your ship"  
  
Her stay was supposed to last only a week, but that week extended to a month, and that month, a half-year, until, at a certain point, after which she and Dylan became lovers, she started to learn about how the ship ran, a difficult task, as , according to her, she came from a world, where people did not really space travel. Most of her duty time was spent in med-bay. After a while, she become better at identifying and buying plants that could treat patients.  
  
  
  
The cook telling him that dinner was ready interrupted Dylan's reminiscing. Thanking the woman, Dylan , went on to dine, an activity that had little pleasure since David decided to move out. He missed his son's conversation which varied from that latest books he had devoured, to his latest story, and any number of things. After he started eating, his reminiscing began again.  
  
It was 2 days after David was born, and they still could not agree on what name to give him.  
  
"What's wrong with the name Peter?" Dylan asked, as he was holding the newborn. "It was my father's name"  
  
"It doesn't feel right" she answered. Arwen had insisted that they not even talk about possible names until after the child's birth, as she felt that it was impossible to know the right name for a child until it had been born and a parent could sense, from being with the child, what was the best name.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It doesn't carry his essence."  
  
"Essence?" Dylan had heard her say this word many times, but not in this context.  
  
"A name must be the person and who they are."  
  
"I see" he answered, distracted, as he was lovingly caressing the baby with his finger. The child had dark eyes, which would later turn to blue, the child's 'newborn hair' was black  
  
  
  
"Let me hold the child" she requested with a smile.  
  
"Certainly" he answered as he handed her the child and kissed her forehead. "I think I might have a name for him"  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Thomas. It's a good strong name'  
  
"It may be, but it imbues a different kind of strength, than what our son has. Maybe we could call him Legolas?"  
  
Dylan just gave Arwen a look of surprise, as that name sounded too odd to him.  
  
Dylan and Arwen spent over a week, in discussions like this, when finally, Arwen made a fateful suggestion.  
  
"I was talking to a Wayist, who came to visit, per my request. I asked him to give me names of men with great wisdom in the various books of his religion. One such name that I found good was that of a certain king David, while making some big mistakes, he was wise for most of his life."  
  
"I like the name David." Dylan replied, glad that they could finally start to agree on this  
  
"How would you feel about naming our son by this name?"  
  
"I would agree to it" there was something about the name David, that seems to fit his son.  
  
Dylan snapped out of his reminiscing enough to go back to his study, and then remembering the day, his son got cured from his terminal illness.  
  
The doctors had given David two months at most. Dylan, could not bring himself to make the necessary arrangements regarding getting a casket and a cemetery plot, and Beka had been nice enough to do them. He spent all the time he could at his son's bedside, and even took time off. However, when, after going home for a while, on the doctor's orders, and returning to the hospital, David's main pediatrician came up to him and asked to speak to him. Just as he was bracing himself to hear the news he had so dreaded, the doctor gave him a surprise.  
  
"Dylan, your son is cured"  
  
He couldn't believe it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"This morning, a while after, a couple of Wayists left David's room, one of the shift nurses noticed that his readings were that of a healthy young boy, and not of a dying one. She called the head nurse, who in turned called me. I ran all the tests I could think of" Niether the doctor nor Dylan were not surprised about the Wayists being there, as people from that faith like to visit patients and pray for them.  
  
Dylan did not know what to say, he was so happy.  
  
"When can I see him?" was all he could say.  
  
"Now"  
  
"Thank you doctor, for everything." Dylan's face was that of pure joy.  
  
"I wasn't the one who cured him"  
  
After his visit with David, he went to the nurses station, and asked one of them  
  
"Could you identify the Wayists who came to visit my son?"  
  
"Not really, they were wearing hoods."  
  
"I see" While he didn't credit the Wayist's prayers for his son's recovery, he felt that their presence helped him psychologically.  
  
Dylan stopped his reminiscing to go read a book.  
  
Days earlier, Harper was having some memories of his own regarding Arwen. He remembers the first time she came on the ship. Dylan introduced her, when they were all together in the mess hall.  
  
"Everyone, this is Arwen, she is coming to visit the ship for a while."  
  
"What a babe?"  
  
"Mr. Harper.." Dylan said warningly.  
  
"Hello" Beka had said politely, but Harper could tell that she was not impressed. Arwen was wearing loose purple pants, and a blue shirt. Also, she had a certain arrogant air about her.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you" Tyr greeted her in a voice of masked politeness.  
  
"So, this is a ship of space?" Arwen has asked.  
  
"You could say that?" Dylan had replied.  
  
"I have never traveled in space."  
  
"Then I hope to make your first trip in space a pleasant one" Dylan was laying in all the charm. How could he know that later she would leave him with a young son to care for? This was one time Harper was glad that Dylan had gotten the babe before him.  
  
Afterwards, it took Arwen three days to choose a room, as she wanted it to have the right "ambience and essence". This annoyed Andromeda, the hologram to no end as the bots kept having to move Arwen's various things. However, after a few months, Dylan practically lived in Arwen's quarters, and only went to his when he had to dress for formal occasions.  
  
  
  
After a momentary interruption of his thoughts by the cat insisting on being let out, Harper restarted the process of re-accessing the memory files, of the period when Arwen was in their lives, as he felt that the was something about her, and he decided to try yet again to figure it out.  
  
  
  
One day, a week after she came, he noticed her in one of the conduit areas, cross-legged, thinking, and with an oddly shaped object, which glowed a purplish color. Harper was impressed, and tried to scan it, when it turned off and he could not read anything.  
  
"You depend on technology too much for understanding" she remarked matter- of-factly.  
  
"Well, duh! I'm an engineer."  
  
"You should develop understanding from the essence of what's around you"  
  
"Ooo-kaaay..One of us is a bit too obsessed with essence. That's all you ever talk about Essence here, essence there, essence everywhere. Anyway, what are you up to?"  
  
"Just thinking and absorbing"  
  
"I see"  
  
  
  
"Well, I have to go" she said. "I promised Dylan that I would make him a homemade meal, as I love to cook"  
  
"Have fun" Harper was pretending to be working on something nearby  
  
When he was sure she had left, he asked the ship,  
  
"Andromeda, could you give me a reading on that thing Arwen was carrying." Harper was hoping that maybe the ship had some information.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't. She had privacy mode engaged."  
  
"Okay" he was disappointed.  
  
After some theorizing that day, he still couldn't come up with any explanation. Then, he went to talk to Beka about it on the Maru.  
  
"Harper, you're just imagining things. There are logical explanations. It's probably some device that can detect scanning devices and automatically shuts down. Also, she did have privacy mode."  
  
"But still.. I can't figure out a way that thing could have glowed. It didn't have any power sources of any kind that were visible. It was just metal, and that odd shaped thing. There's something odd about that babe." Harper was starting to get suspicious about her.  
  
"You're being paranoid, as usual. She's kind of odd and bossy, but as long as she doesn't hurt Dylan, I'm willing to tolerate her."  
  
"And he can have her!"  
  
"That's a first"  
  
  
  
Soon, Harper went to see Trance, and hoped for some insight from her.  
  
After telling her of what he saw, he asked "What do you make of this, Trance?"  
  
"There could be a number of possibilities" she answered.  
  
"Gee, that's a lot of help"  
  
"What if she's some evil alien pretending to be human?"  
  
Trance just looked at him.  
  
"I doubt that this is the case" she answered with total certainty.  
  
"So, you know something."  
  
"I just know that you are being paranoid."  
  
In an attempt to find someone who would understand his concern, he talked to Tyr.  
  
"As long as my survival is not endangered by her oddities, I won't concern myself with her eccentricity"  
  
"But she could be a danger to your survival" Harper said, trying to appeal to his self preservation tendencies. "She could just be bidding her time"  
  
"I highly doubt it. Even I find your concerns to be too premature"  
  
"That's saying a lot"  
  
"If you are so concerned, why don't you talk to Dylan?"  
  
"Cause he's like blinded by the babe"  
  
  
  
And many eccentricities did she show. Harper often saw her with that glowing object, in that same area of the ship. Many times he tried to scan the device, but to no avail, until one day, months later, Dylan came to the machine shop to talk to him. He looked furious.  
  
  
  
"Harper, why in the hell are you spying on Arwen when she is meditating?. I know that you like admire women, but voyeurism is going too far!" the idea of anyone, even Harper, doing that to the woman he loved, was an angering thought to Dylan.  
  
"I wasn't spying on her" he replied "I just wanted to find out about that glowing thing she had"  
  
"I'm sure you did" Dylan did not believe him. "Please respect her privacy"  
  
"But Dylan……"  
  
"This is not a debate" he glared at Harper.  
  
Hence, Harper had to stop trying to scan the 'glowing thing'. However, he had other plans to try to figure out who Arwen really was.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, back in the present, the cat insisted on being let in again. Soon, however, he was back to reviewing his memory files.  
  
  
  
  
  
The next few memories related to the various things about Arwen that he noticed.  
  
Harper noticed that Arwen, for the most part, liked to wear these long flowing dresses. Also, she had gotten Dylan to dress more in funkier things, by buying them for him. How she got the money, no one knew.  
  
He well remembered the day, when the inexplicable happened. Arwen, and Dylan had gone alone to some local drift. A few days later, the crew got an urgent message from Dylan that said that Arwen was in a coma. When they got to the hospital, where she was at, Dylan was at her bedside, holding her hand.  
  
"What happened?" Beka asked.  
  
"She just fainted and hasn't woken since" Dylan replied. It was easy to see the pain in his eyes.  
  
"What does the doctor say"  
  
"That she might not make it."  
  
However, a few minutes later, she woke up  
  
"Arwen?" Dylan was surprised and joyous at the same time.  
  
"Why are you so surprised?" she asked simply  
  
"The doctors didn't that you would pull through" Beka replied.  
  
"Doctors, they have the arrogance to think that they know all there is to know on how to treat people's illnesses, just because they have technology and science."  
  
Dylan just beamed and kissed her, as Arwen returned the favor, to the point, where everyone excused themselves.  
  
  
  
Out in the waiting room, Harper commented  
  
"She pulled a Trance on us!"  
  
"It was just luck" Beka replied.  
  
"I'm telling you there's something about Arwen. She has powers, or knows people who have powers!"  
  
"Well if she does, she doesn't seem to want to use them against us"  
  
"For now."  
  
  
  
Again, Harper's reminisces were interrupted by his wife, who just came home from a conference. He decided to leave his memory file review for another day. 


	23. "How could you not be suspicious?”

A few hours later, in bed, while his wife was sleeping, Harper started to remember another scheme he tried to find out more about Arwen. His need to do this stemmed from his gut feeling that there was more to her than meets the eye, yet in a different way than Trance was.  
  
One day, when she and Trance were on a field trip to get some more plants, Harper overrode some security protocols and blinded Andromeda's sensors to get into Arwen's room, which by that point had become Dylan's room as well. The room looked neat, yet lived in. There were candles of various colors around, as well as odd knick knacks. Harper decided to go look for that book that he had seen Arwen reading at times. After scanning for the book, he found that it was in this locked box under the bed, just as he was about to try to open the box, he heard a booming voice.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
He looked up and saw Dylan's standing there, furious.  
  
"uh…. Hi boss. I was just uh… doing a safety check in this room."  
  
"These quarters are private. What is in here is none of your business. Arwen told me that you might have an interest in her private book. When I found the sensors here blinded, I decided to check it out."  
  
"But boss…."  
  
"Leave! Before I toss you in the brig."  
  
"Do you know what's in that book?" Harper asked  
  
"No, but I trust Arwen, and so should you."  
  
Harper left, cursing how he was so close, yet so far.  
  
Then, the alarm clock brought Harper back to the present.  
  
Meanwhile, David had met a new friend named Jade, who was also a writer. She and David would often meet at the local café to discuss their latest scribbleings.  
  
  
  
"So, what's your next story about?" David asked  
  
"dragons"  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"They are these sentient beings, whose wisdom surpasses our own. They have the body of a large reptile, while having the claws of a lion, wings, and scaly skin."  
  
"Neat. Why don't we read your story together and discuss it, so as to make improvements and we can do the same to my story in a day or two."  
  
"Sure."  
  
They got so ingrossed in the story, that before they knew it that first light of dawn came upon them.  
  
"Oh no! I 'd better get back. My girlfriend must be worried."  
  
"Okay. Thanks for your help!"  
  
When he got home, he heard Rommie's irritated voice.  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"With Jade"  
  
"Jade?"  
  
"A new writing buddy of mine. She wrote this great story about a dragon, which is…."  
  
  
  
"I know what they are." she said, then added "I've never met this Jade."  
  
"She is new in town"  
  
"I see. Well, you'd better get to bed."  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't let you know"  
  
"I looked for you everywhere"  
  
"I didn't mean to worry you"  
  
"I know."  
  
So, David went to bed.  
  
The next day, David again met Jade at the café.  
  
Three weeks later, David was coming home, with his seeing eye bot, from a late night of Jade helping him beta read his latest short story, when again, he a note of controlled strong emotions in her voice.  
  
"We have to talk" Rommie said  
  
"About what?" David did have a good feeling about this.  
  
"I've heard rumors"  
  
"since when do you believe in those?"  
  
"since they were actually things I've heard your friends say. I was walking along, near where some of your other friends wer sitting talking about how you have been spending less time with them. They seemed worried. When they saw me, they shut up, little knowing that I had android hearing."  
  
"Rommie don't' you trust me?" David was shocked at what she was implying. "I love you too much, and would never cheat on you"  
  
"I trust you to be human, and subject to temptation."  
  
David didn't say anything.  
  
"I think that the best way to solve a problem is to avoid it. Maybe you should spend less time with her."  
  
"I like her as a friend. I'm not attracted to her. You're being overly jealous"  
  
"I don't think so"  
  
"okay, look, I'll spend a little less time with her."  
  
  
  
The next day, Jade saw David walking along, on his way to meet some friends, when she said hi to him.  
  
"So, when do you wanna meet?"  
  
"Actually, I promised my girlfriend that I would spend more time with her."  
  
"I see. In other words, she got a case of the jealous-heebie-jeebies, and does not want you to spend as much time with me"  
  
"Well.. uh…."  
  
"You don' have to say it. However, I just really need to show you something."  
  
"I don't know…"  
  
"Come on!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
So, being the nice guy that he was, David went with her to this mysterious place, which he could not really identify except that it had a pleasant smell and was eerily silent.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"In an abandoned building"  
  
"why?"  
  
"I found something quite interesting." She answered as she lead him to where they needed to go. "here we are. Feel the statue" she said as she lead his hand to it.  
  
David felt around and found the statue to be around the size of a regular chair.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"A light blue dragon statue"  
  
"Neat"  
  
" Whoever did this statue, captured the essence of the dragon, with all the wisdom and strength"  
  
David made sure to be through in his feeling the dragon, capturing what it looks like.  
  
"Tell me more about dragons"  
  
And so she did for an hour, until David interrupted her.  
  
"Is there someone else here?"  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"I get the feeling that we are being watched"  
  
"oh?"  
  
"Yeah, I can't quite put my finger on it"  
  
Back at his home, Harper was again trying to access his memory files regarding Arwen. He remembered another event during which he almost was able to get some information on Arwen. Somehow, thinking that everyone was asleep, Arwen had left her 'glowing thing' on a bench in the observation deck as she went to walk around for a bit. Somehow, using the Andromeda's computer, Harper was able to find this out, and he with his more advanced scanner, which he just built went there. While the 'glowing thing' was not on, he went to scan it. All the new scanner showed him was that it was made from unknown materials.  
  
"Gee, that's a lot of help. I might as well have used the old one."  
  
Then, he picked it up, and tried to find the place where it's supposed to be turned on, but to no avail, after which he asked the ship to scan it.  
  
"The object is made from materials I am not familiar with,"  
  
"You mean that in your magical mystery database, you can't find any matches?  
  
"No, but I do sense other things"  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Well, there are a total of two materials. One for the metal part, and another for the Crystal itself. The Crystal is made from some material that can contain and conduct a lot of power at once. It can hold the power equivalent to the amount put out by me and 1000 ships of my size."  
  
"Whoa! What about the metal part?"  
  
"It's made from some sort of material that is so strong, that if my hull were made from it, I would never sustain any battle damage ever again.  
  
"Double whoa!"  
  
"Can you find the on switch to this thing?"  
  
"There doesn't appear to be one."  
  
"How about power source?"  
  
"No" The ship hadn't scanned it before because somehow it had never occurred to her, until Harper asked her.  
  
  
  
"That does it, I'm gonna see Dylan" he said to himself. "Where is he? And more importantly, where's Arwen?"  
  
"She's in one of the lavatories, she's not…. Feeling well, all of a sudden. Dylan is in his quarters sleeping"  
  
"Okay" he didn't want to do this, but he thought that Dylan should know that his girlfriend was not being on the level with him, as soon as possible.  
  
However, one minute he was on his way, and the next he found himself in med bay. Dylan was standing next to the bed.  
  
"Glad to have ya back"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You fainted"  
  
"Wha..?"  
  
"And stole Arwen's Crystal."  
  
"I did not! I was trying to study it. Dylan, neither my scanners nor Rommie's sensors could detect what it is. I wanted to show it to you to prove that there is something fishy about Arwen. She's lying to you about who she is."  
  
"That's quite an accusation, Harper."  
  
"Think about it, why doesn't she show you that book? Or explain about that 'glowing thing' "  
  
"She made a promise to someone that she would not show the book to anyone else. Otherwise she would have shown it to me"  
  
"How convenient, blame her secrecy on someone else."  
  
"as for the glowing thing, she got it from a friend, and doesn't know much about it"  
  
"Then why doesn't she let me study it, huh?  
  
"Why should she, you've been quite rude to her, spying, going to our rooming trying to steal her book, and now stealing her Crystal." Dyan was glaring at Harper as he said all this, and was getting impatient.  
  
" I was not spying, but trying to figure out what that glowing thing was. Also, I just wanted to make sure that she's not some evil alien or something? How could you not be suspicious?"  
  
"Because I love Arwen, and I trust her."  
  
"you're just blinded by the babe. If I had a girlfriend who acted like she did, you would have been on to her, in a snap, but since you are the one with the girlfriend…. Wake up and smell the antimatter Dylan"  
  
"Enough! I'm tired of your attempts to get more information on Arwen and her personal private objects."  
  
"Wait! Don't' you think it's odd that I just fainted, just as I was about to show you my evidence?" Harper wanted Dylan to see some logic.  
  
"It's from the slight infection you have, according to Trance"  
  
"Wait! She gave it to me! She has powers"  
  
Dylan was starting to get madder, but he took a deep breath, and told himself to be patient, as Harper did live a hard life on Earth.  
  
"She does not. You are being paranoid. Not even Tyr has the level of concern you have"  
  
"Look, I survived on Earth from developing this gut feeling about stuff, and I got that kinda vibe from your girlfriend."  
  
"You will apologize to her" Dylan said in his commanding officer voice.  
  
"No freakin way!"  
  
"there is a surfing competition soon, and you do need authorization to get off the ship….."  
  
"Fine! I'd rather miss it than apologize to her" The last thing Harper wanted to do was to apologize to her.  
  
Dylan was surprised at this.  
  
  
  
"Andromeda, tell Dylan what you told me"  
  
"What did I tell you?" she asked  
  
"Remember how you said that if you hull were made from the metal part of the 'glowing thing' you'd never sustain any batter damage? and that the Crystal could contain the same amount of power as 1000 ships of your size?"  
  
"I don't remember saying that"  
  
"Oh crap. She erased some of the ship's memory" This was the last thing that Harper needed.  
  
"Arwen, has been with me all the time you were unconscious."  
  
"She could have erased the memory before"  
  
"No she could not have"  
  
"Andromeda, reanalyze the 'glowing thing' Harper requested.  
  
"Crystal and metal parts made from common materials found in a lot of places in the known worlds"  
  
"No way! She's been messing with the ship's sensors. Cause that's not what they or my scanners said before."  
  
"Arwen made me scan her crystal, with your scanning device, so as to avoid confusion and it confirmed what Andromeda said." Dylan said simply. "Look, Harper, Arwen doesn't have any engineering ability, there was no way that she could have sabotaged anything." he was starting to get annoyed and impatient by Harper's accusations.  
  
"Maybe, she didn't need to use engineering to erased Andromeda's memory, or mess with the scanners. She could have powers of some kind."  
  
"She does not have any powers, didn't you see the scanning results?" Dylan said this with an impatient sigh.  
  
"She used her powers to manipulate them."  
  
"Look, Harper" his voice was starting to rise " I know that you had a rough life on Earth, and I'm sorry, but that gives you no right to take her things without permission. You could have broken her crystal. You will apologize to her."  
  
"Uh.. no I won't"  
  
The next day, Dylan and Arwen announced to the others that she was pregnant. A while after this announcement, Beka and Harper were talking on the Maru.  
  
"Beka, you gotta believe me, that glowing thing is not made from common material. I'm not delusional"  
  
" I know you're not, and I know that even you are not that paranoid."  
  
"So you believe me?"  
  
"Mostly"  
  
"What are we gonna do?"  
  
"Well, Dylan loves her very much, and it'll be hard to convince him. "  
  
"Kinda like when you were with Bobby and you did not believe that he was a psycho."  
  
Beka just looked at him.  
  
"Besides" she continued, "She is kinda like Trance, as she doesn't like to show off her abilities"  
  
"But she isn't even telling Dylan."  
  
"Yeah, it's obvious that she isn't."  
  
Harper's thoughts were interrupted and transported back to the present by his wife's kissing the back of his neck, and asking him to join her for a bath, which he did. 


	24. More about Arwen

Later that night, Harper, started to have memories about another important event in the whole Arwen saga.  
  
One day, after returning from a fun trip with Trance, Beka went to meet them in the Maru.  
  
"Hey guys" Beka said somberly.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"I have bad news"  
  
"What?" both of them were thinking their own worst-case scenario?  
  
"Arwen left yesterday."  
  
Both of them looked surprised, even Harper.  
  
" I take it that Dylan's not taking it too well?" Trance replied  
  
"Well, he's locked himself in his old quarters, and ordered the bots to later get all of her stuff and put it in boxes."  
  
  
  
"What about David?" Trance asked. She had grown quite attached to the sweet one year old, who by now had brown hair, blue eyes, and his father's double chin.  
  
"He is still with us, and I was taking care of him."  
  
"That's great" Harper had grown to love the child too, and had started to build some toys for him. Also, he had kept a close eye to see if the child had any magical powers, even scanning him on the sly, but he didn't find anything.  
  
Later that day, Dylan came to command. He had large bags under his eyes, had his blank stare, and was quite subdued.  
  
Beka walked up to him and whispered "Are you sure that you are ready to work again?"  
  
"Yes. I have a son and a mission to tend to." he whispered back.  
  
Later, as Dylan was walking down the hall to check on David, who was with Trance, Harper came up to him.  
  
"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened."  
  
"I appreciate that Harper"  
  
Harper was about to say something, when the ship interrupted him.  
  
"Dylan, you wanted to let me know when the bots were done with what you asked. What would you like me to do?"  
  
"Code purple"  
  
"What's that?" Harper asked  
  
Dylan just looked at him, and left.  
  
A few hours later, on the command deck, Beka asked  
  
"What are those boxes that I detect near the ship?"  
  
"Just things that I needed to get rid of." He answered simply  
  
Then, it hit everyone, what was in those boxes, but they didn't say anything.  
  
The next day, Harper, asked Beka if she read the note that Arwen left, if any.  
  
"No. Dylan tore it to shreds before I could read it."  
  
"Tore it to shreds?"  
  
"She wrote a note the old fashioned way, with something called paper"  
  
"Oh yeah, I've heard about paper" Harper comment as he thought of something. "Do you think that Dylan searched through her stuff for clues?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw him doing it. He told me that there are no clues as to why she left"  
  
"Wait! She took the tugboat, didn't' she?" Harper was referring to a small ship that they had salvaged, and had been fixed up by Harper a few months before.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Somehow I'm not surprised that she got passed the sensors"  
  
  
  
The cat again brought him to the present, as she climbed on the bed and purred to be let out.  
  
  
  
A tap on the shoulder, meanwhile, surprised David, back at his favorite café, where he was writing, and would be joining Rommie for a walk in about an hour.  
  
" Hello son" Dylan said in his happy voice  
  
"Hey dad!" David got up and Dylan hugged him.  
  
"I got some vacation time and thought that I'd spend it with you."  
  
"Great." Just as they both sat down, Dylan noticed that a young woman came up to the table.  
  
"David?"  
  
"Jade?"  
  
"How goes all?"  
  
"Good, dad, this is my friend Jade, Jade, this is dad."  
  
"Please to meet you, David has told me all about you"  
  
"I hope that it was all positive." Dylan replied jokingly.  
  
"I just wanted to see if Rommie, was still upset about our visit to the abandoned building."  
  
"Why would she be?" Dylan asked.  
  
"She is rather overprotective" David answered nervously.  
  
"Overprotective? Jealous is more like it!"  
  
"Jealous?" Dylan did not like the sound of this.  
  
"Well, the fact that they are a couple might have something to do with the jealous tendency" Jade answered, with a wink thinking that Dylan was aware of the relationship, and so was joking.  
  
"Of course" Dylan said as David, could hear the glare in Dylan's tone of voice.  
  
"Well I have to go now, to meet some friends! Bye"  
  
"Walk with me" Dylan commanded in a low voice, when Jade had gone out of sight.  
  
David dreaded this phrase, as it was a phrase that his father used whenever he was angry and wanted to talk alone.  
  
So, both men and the Seeing Eye bot got up and went to the nearest park.  
  
"I thought you two were just friends" Dylan stated accusingly, trying to hold back his anger.  
  
"We were, until recently"  
  
Dylan just took a deep breath and an uncomfortable silence ensued.  
  
I have an idea, why don't I go to my hotel room for a while, and we'll meet again later"  
  
"Why not talk now?" David hated the idea of having to wait in agony.  
  
"Because I need some time" Dylan did not want to say anything rash that he would regret later, and he was finding it harder to hold back his anger.  
  
And so the men split ways.  
  
David, with the help of his seeing eye bot, decided to go back home, and wait for Rommie, when, as he got in the house, he heard an unfamiliar voice greet him.  
  
"Hello David"  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Your mother"  
  
"What?" David could not believe it.  
  
"I am."  
  
"No you're not" David figured she was some crazy woman.  
  
So, he got a hold of his cane, which he sometimes used.  
  
"No need to threaten me"  
  
"I'm not, it's just a precaution"  
  
"David, listen to me, I am your mother."  
  
" Prove it" David was still skeptical.  
  
"You have a birthmark on the front of your right thigh."  
  
He was stunned. No one but his mother, his father, and Rommie could know this information.  
  
  
  
"David, I've been wanting to meet you face to face, for a long time…"  
  
"Why did you leave?" David interjected "It really hurt my dad, and I'm was kinda hurt too because I sometimes would think that it was my fault"  
  
"It was never your fault. I had to leave"  
  
"Why then?"  
  
"You are not ready to know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You will know when the time is right" David hated this answer.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" He did not know what else to say.  
  
"No. I'm sorry, but I have to go now"  
  
"But we just met!"  
  
"We'll see each other again soon. Bye, son, take care, and please don't tell your father about me coming here, for now"  
  
"Okay, for now is the word"  
  
A while later, when Rommie came home, he told her what happened.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"That we would meet again soon, and that I was not ready to know why she left my dad and me. Also, I promised her that I wouldn't tell him"  
  
"I see"  
  
"And he knows about us"  
  
"What?" Rommie knew that Dylan would find out eventually, but not this soon  
  
"He came for surprise visit, and met me at my favorite café. Jade inadvertently told him about us because she thought he knew"  
  
"How did he react?"  
  
"He wanted time alone" David was emotionally tired, as he hated to fight with his father, and had met his mother, and had more questions than before.  
  
"Ah" Rommie was not surprised at this, and went to sit next to David, and put her had on his shoulder. David, for his part, kissed her palm and held her for strength  
  
Back at his home, Harper remembered this incident, when David was nine months old where he thought that he finally had proof that Arwen was not what she seemed.  
  
He, Trance, and Arwen went on a trip on the Maru for supplies, parts and plants. He pretended to go an opposite direction, when he found that Arwen wanted to go around alone. Harper had brought a holocam to see if he could take pictures of anything that would give Dylan the proof that would go through his blindness. Fortunately, she was daydreaming and so did not notice Harper.  
  
Finally, he noticed this man, with blonde hair and green eyes come up to her and talk. They seemed to know each other quite well. Harper took several pictures. Soon, their talking turned to arguing. He took pictures of that. The man kissed her, and she pushed him away.  
  
"Whoo hoo!" Harper thought to himself "I finally have proof that even Dylan can't deny!"  
  
The next day, he went to Dylan's office, camera in hand. He knocked and was let in.  
  
"Hey Dylan"  
  
"Hey" Dylan was busy with some paperwork. "What's on your mind"?  
  
"So, what did Arwen tell you about her time on the drift?"  
  
"That she had a good time, and found what she needed. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to do this Dylan, but you must see the images on this holocam."  
  
"Really?" he looked up  
  
"Yeah. Arwen was not getting all the stuff she needed! She was meeting with some guy"  
  
Dylan just glared at him.  
  
"Just look at the holocam images" As Harper was about to give it to him he realized something  
  
"Oh crap! It's not working! And the pictures got erased!"  
  
"It's just as well" Dylan replied. "Arwen told me that you followed her"  
  
"Yeah, but…"  
  
"You had no right. How dare you invade her privacy?"  
  
"But Dylan……"  
  
"I'm getting sick of this Harper. Can't you just leave her alone? I'm sorry if you don't like her, but she is here to stay. We love each other"  
  
Dylan took a deep breath and gave Harper his best glare.  
  
"Harper, This is the third time you have done something to harass Arwen"  
  
"What? I wasn't harassing her! I just wanna help ya"  
  
"I want you to apologize to her"  
  
"No way"  
  
"This is not a debate"  
  
" No freakin way!"  
  
"Yes you will, Mr. Harper"  
  
"No!" Harper replied as he walked out of Dylan's office.  
  
Harper's thoughts were then interrupted by his kids wanting to play some Kiewe handball.  
  
  
  
Again, David was at his favorite café, when he heard a voice.  
  
"David? It's your mother."  
  
"Oh hi" David was not quite sure how to act. Part of him was angry that she had left, but not as much as he would be if she had left later in his life. Another part of him wanted to get to know her better, so as to get to know himself better.  
  
"I see that you are a like a bard" she said, as she observed that he was writing.  
  
"Yeah kinda"  
  
"David, I know that you are wondering why I left you and your father, and you also want to know more about me. Well, now is the time to tell you. Let us talk in private."  
  
"We could go to the park," he said.  
  
And so they went.  
  
"David, did you father ever tell you how we met?"  
  
"Well, my aunt Beka said that you saved him from Kalderans, and agreed with his suggestion to come to the Andromeda for a visit."  
  
"That is right. I, as well as he, intended just to have a fling of no more than ten days. However, we found ourselves, not wanting to part, and we kept extending my departure date, until, we fell in love and I decided to stay permanently, until I had to leave suddenly"  
  
"See, I am actually from another realm and my family desperately needed me. Given the dangerous situation at my home, I felt it best to leave you with your father. I never wanted to leave you, but I was able to get a couple of cousins to keep on eye on you. In fact, it was they, who cured you. They disguised themselves as Wayist monks in order to slip into your hospital room."  
  
David didn't say anything, as he was taking it all in.  
  
"What sort of family emergency?" David figured it must have been really big if she had to leave him and his dad.  
  
"I can't explain that yet"  
  
"I see" David said as he sighed impatiently "Is it true that you have magical powers? Uncle Harper thinks you did. He would tell me about the various things he observed, whenever Dad was not around. I never really believed him, as he tends to be kinda paranoid at times, but since you're from another realm and had cousins who could cure me…"  
  
"Yes I have powers"  
  
"Will I ever have any?"  
  
"Usually, when my kind mates with humans, who live in my realm, the rate of inheriting the powers if the father is human is about 8 out of 10. However, such pairings are rare."  
  
  
  
"Just my luck" David mumbled annoyed. "I wish I had the power to cure my blindness"  
  
"I'm sorry son, my cousins tried to cure your blindness, but they couldn't and neither could I" Arwen sounded sad.  
  
  
  
"And I won't ever have powers?" David was double checking to see, if by some miracle, he had heard wrong  
  
" No, but don't let that get you down, son. You have other wonderful abilities, such as your kindness, and your ability to write. I'm glad that you were able to give you father some happiness. By the way, I have to tell you one more thing."  
  
"Let me guess. I got a brother or sister, that dad didn't know about that was born in the other realm"  
  
"No, that is not it"  
  
"Sorry, I read too many holonovels." David, thanks to a device made by Harper, was able to enjoy them.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Jalicia and I are best friends"  
  
"What?"  
  
"We grew up together."  
  
"By the way, there is this abandoned building with a statue of a dragon in it. One time when I went I thought someone was watching me. Do you know anything about it?"  
  
" I might, but I have to make sure. Why don't we go there now?"  
  
"Okay"  
  
However, when they arrived, there was nothing there  
  
"This is weird' David remarked, as he could hear Arwen saying 'Hmmmmm'  
  
"If there was someone here, they must have detected us somehow"  
  
"With magic?"  
  
"Yes. By the way, I heard that you and your father have been fighting"  
  
"It's because of my relationship with Rommie. I was gonna tell him, but he found out by mistake."  
  
"I don't really blame him. She did betray him, however, she did repent"  
  
"That's what I tried to tell him"  
  
"Your father has always had trouble finding it in himself to trust Rommie, again.  
  
"So, I've noticed"  
  
"Go talk to him. He has always loved you more than life itself."  
  
"What do I say?"  
  
"You'll think of something. However, I'd wait a while before I went to talk to him."  
  
"Good idea" David replied. "Hey, wanna have some dinner?"  
  
"Certainly. You could tell me about your writing, and what's happening in your life"  
  
  
  
The next evening, Dylan was dining alone, wishing that he were eating with his son right now, but part of him was angry at David for being with Rommie. As he ate, he got a note from David that said,  
  
"Dad, I have pneumonia, which might or might not be severe. I'm at home, by myself, recovering. The doctor says I'll be fine with the proper medication, but I'd like you to be there. Don't worry, Rommie is not home. She left so you could come see me."  
  
  
  
Back at his place, David insisted to Rommie that they stay home and just hang out. David pretended to be working on his story, while Rommie was paying the household bills.  
  
"David, why do you keep looking at the door?"  
  
"I'm not looking at the door"  
  
"Yes you are. Is there something you want to tell me?"  
  
"Uh..no"  
  
"Humph" Rommie returned to her chores, as she figured that she would find out eventually.  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  
  
"Could you get it please, honey?"  
  
With a sigh, she did.  
  
It was Dylan.  
  
"I thought you were gone"  
  
"David is here" Rommie quickly went to their bedroom after she said this.  
  
"Rommie come back." David called out.  
  
"For someone who is sick, you seem to be quite energetic" Dylan said sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, I'm not sick"  
  
"Oh really? How could you lie to me like that by pretending to be ill?"  
  
"Because I want you and Rommie to reconcile"  
  
" I see. Reconciliations just don't happen, David"  
  
"No they don't" David answered, "They require effort and a willingness to forgive. Come on dad, Rommie is sorry for what she did, and it's been almost 30 years. At least talk to her. Do it for me, please?"  
  
"Fine" he said with a sigh. "But only because it means so much to you." 


End file.
